Executive Summary : | In the fourth industrial revolution (industry 4.0), continuous monitoring and control over manufacturing processes are crucial for improving productivity. Sheet forming processes, such as the hole-flanging process in the automotive industry, are often used to produce auto-body parts. The deformation during this process is measured using the hole expansion ratio (HER), which depends on several process parameters that can vary the HER and formability. Researchers are now exploring the use of advanced fracture models and anisotropic-based plasticity models to predict failure during sheet forming processes. This approach not only produces zero-defect products but also reduces scrap during production. In this study, extra deep drawing quality (EDD) steel and aluminum sheet materials with thicknesses 1.5 mm and 1.0 mm will be selected. A comprehensive hybrid experimental-numerical procedure will be used to determine the fracture loci of the sheet materials using an advanced Hosford-Coulomb (HC) ductile damage model. An experimental setup will be developed to understand the effect of various process parameters on the hole-expansion process. Two different tooling setups will be developed to perform in-plane and out-of-plane hole expansion experiments. A finite element (FE) model will be developed considering advanced material model, constitutive model, and HC fracture curve to understand the complex deformation mechanism during the hole-flanging process. This robust FE model will help manage resources wisely, reduce redundant experimentations, and generate a database for the industry. The investigation will not only focus on laboratory-scale geometries but also actual automobile body parts with scaled-down geometry to establish its significance in industrial applications. |