Temperature Control of the Two-Point Incremental Forming Process to Achieve Homogeneous Martensite Content Based on Finite Element Simulations

Deformation-induced martensite has been observed in the incremental sheet forming of metastable austenitic stainless steels (MASS). The presence of martensite improves the characteristics of the springs. Martensite transformation usually occurs at low temperatures (<70 ℃). Depending on the tool speed, incremental forming of disk springs requires between 3 to 5 min. The forming time needs to be short to increase the process output in industrial settings. However, accelerating the process leads to high temperatures above the martensite transformation temperature that suppress martensite formation, necessitating temperature control during forming. It is suggested to enhance the martensite content of the blank by cooling during the forming operation. In this contribution, two-point incremental sheet forming is conducted to determine the influence of process temperature on the phase content of MASS disk springs. A temperature-dependent phase change material model that includes the strain rate effect is implemented in finite element (FE) simulations to predict the martensite content. FE simulations are performed to investigate the convection coefficients and cooling time leading to process temperatures below 70 ℃. The framework can be used to control and speed up the incremental forming of disk springs while maintaining a high martensite content.