Resistance heating characteristics of high-strength steel sheet blank for hot press forming

Resistance heating performance in some shaped blanks of high-strength steel sheet is examined by experiment and FE simulation, and the feasibility and effectiveness of the application of resistance heating to the hot press forming of high-strength steel sheet are discussed. The followings are made clear through this study. (1) A uniformly distributed current density is essential to uniform blank heating. (2) For a certain shaped blank, no matter how the electrodes are disposed, uniform blank heating is difficult. (3) A blank shape suitable for uniform heating by a single pair of parallel electrodes is restricted to a rectangle.(4) In case a uniformly heated blank is required, two-piece simultaneous forming with point-symmetric die layout is recommended from the viewpoint of material utilization.