Material characterisation is one of the most essential analysises in metal forming technology. The knowledge about the used material is necessary from the first up to the final working step. This means to choose the right material for a process or a component and to know exactly its forming behaviour and especially when and under which stress the material fails. This knowledge is essential for the success of a component. In order to characterise the material under all stress conditions conforming to standards, the Forschungsgesellschaft Umformtechnik mbH has the latest testing methods at its disposal. Standardised tensile and pressure tests in sheet metal and bulk metal forming are essential in sheet metal forming and especially the analysis of material behaviour under deep drawing conditions, stresses in edge areas of the component and during bending and folding processes.
- Registration of flow curves in a single-axis tensile test at room temperature and at elevated room temperatures
- Registration of flow curves in a crush test with a compression plastometer
- Definition of the flow curve location in tensile/tensile stress condition in a cross joint tensile test
- Hydraulic cupping test (diameters of 100, 200 and 500 millimetres)
- Registration of forming limit diagrams (linear/non-linear)
- Determination of depth by Erichsen
- Determination of drawing limit ratio (die diameter of 100mm)
- Tool and device construction for material characterisation
- Determination of edge crack sensitivity (diabolo test)
- Bending property (bending limit curve)
Another decisive factor is the knowledge about material behaviour under defined environmental conditions, like temperature for example.