Numerical Investigation on SPIF Process of Elastoplastic Fe-TiB2 Composite

The lightening of structures is one of the priority ways of reducing the risk of pollution (CO2 emissions). Metal matrix composites present a great interest for the lightening of structures if the improvement of their specific modulus is accompanied by a good strength/ductility ratio. Ferritic steel matrix reinforced with brittle ceramic particles requires the understanding of their behavior under different loading paths for the modeling of their mechanical behavior and for the prediction of their formability. This work makes at a first attempt to homogenize an elastoplastic Fe-TiB2 composite for 12% volume fraction of TiB2 particles and uses for the first time in SPIF manufacturing process. The effective elastic properties are estimated based on Mori-Tanaka model and the rule of mixture. The numerical simulation is done using Abaqus/Explicit. An experimental study from the literature is investigated to validate the elastoplastic behavior of the composite and to estimate the isotropic hardening parameters of Ludwik law. An excellent correlation is achieved between the numerical and experimental stress-strain curves. This numerical study illustrates a valuable guide to predict Fe-TiB2 composite sheet's behavior deformed by a SPIF process.