Numerical Fatigue Strength Evaluation of Inhomogeneous, Linear Flow Split Profiles Available to Purchase

The innovative sheet metal forming technology “Linear Flow Splitting” offers various new options for designing profile-like components. The forming process leads to severe changes in local material properties, inhomogeneities and residual stresses within the manufactured component. These effects influence the mechanical properties of the manufactured components. If the components are designed to endure cyclic mechanical loads, it is especially important to know the components fatigue properties. This paper focuses on a method to derive the fatigue properties of Linear Flow Split Profiles by nonlinear numerical FE analysis, including durability analysis and forming simulations. This numerical approach offers the possibility to estimate the fatigue properties of components before manufacturing physical prototypes, only based on material parameters derived from tests on smooth samples. The Finite-Element analysis of the Linear Flow Splitting Process provides distributions of local material deformation and residual stresses. These results are mapped by an appropriate interface on FE models, which allow simulating the component behavior under external loads. Thus, the inhomogeneous elastic-plastic material behavior and residual stresses are considered in the computed stresses and strains. Further on, a post-processing tool was implemented to interpret the FE results considering the inhomogeneous distribution of materials fatigue properties, the mean stress distribution and the statistical size effect.