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Improvement of springback prediction of wide sheet metal air bending

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Article  in  Journal of Central South University of Technology · December 2010

DOI: 10.1007/s11771-008-0478-9

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J. Cent. South Univ. Technol. (2008) 15(s2): 310−315
DOI: 10.1007/s11771−008−0478−9

Improvement of springback prediction of wide sheet metal air bending process

LI Jian(李 建), ZHAO Jun(赵 军), SUN Hong-lei(孙红磊), MA Rui(马 瑞)

(College of Mechanical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China)

Abstract: Accurate springback prediction of wide sheet metal air bending process is important to improve product quality and ensure
the precision in dimension. The definition of elastic limit bend angle was proposed. Based on cantilever beam elastic deforming
theory, the geometrical parameters of forming tools, sheet thickness and the material yielding strain were derived and validated by
the finite element method (FEM). Employing the degree of elastic limit bend angle, the equation for springback prediction was
constructed, the results calculated fit well with experimental data. Especially for the small bend angle, the predicted results by
equation were applied to conduct the springback prediction and compensation in industries and give closer correlation to the
experimental data than those calculated by engineering theory of plastic bending.

Key words: elastic limit bend angle; springback prediction; elastic recovery; finite element method

workpiece was assumed to be a wide sheet of an

1 Introduction
One of the most widely used sheet metal forming
process is bending. This is employed in automobile
industry, construction of large spherical and cylindrical
pressure vessels, curved structural components in
aerospace industry. The precision in dimension is a
major concern in bending process because of the
considerable elastic recovery after unloading leading to
springback[1]. The elastic recovery is influenced by a
combination of various parameters, such as tool shape
and dimension, contact friction condition, material
properties and thickness. The springback is normally
measured in terms of change in bend angle or bend
radius.
Due to simple geometrical shape and boundary
condition involved in bending process, the springback
was widely investigated by authors using various
analytical approaches including theoretical analysis,
experiment work and the finite element method.
BOTROS[2] analyzed the relationship of degree of
springback with the basic dimensions and properties of
the material. The bending process could be considered as
a plane strain process because the bending effect
(thickness reduction of 3%−5%) did not propagate
through the sides of the strip more than the length of the
sheet metal in contact with the die face. QUEENER et
al[3] derived equations for springback and residual stress
distribution as a function of die radius, sheet thickness,
and stress—strain characteristics of the material. The
elastic-plastic strain-hardening material. The neutral axis
to remain in the center of the sheet and radial stresses to
be negligible. DAVIES[4] studied springback concerning
the influence of material thickness and die variables in
four different types of steel. For minimum springback,
the die gap should be as small as possible and the anvil
radius should be less 2.5 times than the material
thickness. JOHNSON et al[5] further extended Gardiner’s
work to consider linearly hardening materials and gave a
function for springback prediction.
Recently, the finite element approach was
introduced to calculate the degree of springback in air
bending, the total equivalent plastic strain and the
equivalent von Mises stresses[6−7]. CHO et al[8] carried
out numerical investigation on springback characteristic
in plane strain ‘U’ bending process by thermo-
elastoplastic FEA. LEE et al[9] developed a plane stress
plasticity model and predicted the springback based on
isotropic-kinematic hardening laws together with a
non-quadratic yield function, which employed in the
sheet metal forming analysis of a 2D draw bending and a
simplified industrial part made of an aluminum alloy. He
conducted several springback reduction techniques, such
as over bending, stretching, arc bottoming, pinching die,
spanking and movement (double bend) techniques.
MATH et al[10] reported springback and residual stresses
of bent plates, which was designed to assemble spherical
tanks made of steel, using elastic-plastic incremental FE
calculations and experimental validation. BAI et al[11]
established the numerical model of power spinning of

Foundation item: Project(20050216013) supported by the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education
Received date: 2008−09−05; Accepted date: 2008−10−18
Corresponding author: LI Jian, Doctoral candidate; Tel: +86-335-8387672; E-mail: lijian@ysu.edu.cn
J. Cent. South Univ. Technol. (2008) 15(s2): 310−315 311
thin-walled aluminum alloy shell with hoop inner rib and where εs is the yielding strain; σs is the yielding stress;
gave a reasonable aid for designing mandrel according to E is the elastic modulus.
the results of springback prediction. Although FE
programs were sophisticated, their accuracy and
reliability did not satisfy the industrial requirements,
which consumed and expended time. Amongst others,
some of the main reasons are the inaccuracy of the used
numerical algorithms (such as numerical integration and
element formulation) and lack of experience during using
the FE programs[12]. As a result, the FEA is not
sufficiently capable of simulating forming processes and Fig.1 Tangential stress distribution in deforming region of sheet
subsequently unable to accurately predict the springback metal air bending
behavior.
Precise springback prediction can potentially 2.2 Equation for elastic limit bend angle
minimize debugging time, improve product quality and The bent sheet can be treated as a cantilever beam
ensure the precision in dimension. YU et al[13] verified that is rigidly supported at the symmetry axis loaded by
that the springback calculation based on the engineering the distributed force q (see Fig.2). The bend line y(x) in
theory of plastic bending was reasonable and could elastic bending stage depends on the magnitude of the
guarantee analysis precision for the small curvature distributed force q or the moment M(x) and the assumed
(R/t≥10) pure-moment bending. Often, the prediction cross-section shape. It also depends on the beam length,
and compensation of springback in industries are often the die gap and the elastic limit bend angle αs.
conducted based on engineering theory of plastic
bending[14]. But when the bend angle (the supplementary
angle of sheet) is small, there is a big deviation between
the calculated results and the experimental data. In this
investigation, a new method of predicting springback
was proposed and verified the validation by the finite
element method and experiment.

2 Elastic limit bend angle

Fig.2 Mechanical model of sheet metal air bending
2.1 Definition of elastic limit bend angle
In the preliminary stage of bending process, the
From Fig.2, the following geometrical expressions
tangential stress σθ at edge layer of the sheet is less than
can be obtained.
the material yielding stress σs because of elastic
deformation produced inside the sheet. This deformation l = L − (rd + t / 2) sin θ (2)
stage is named as the elastic bending stage. The αs
tangential stress distribution in deforming region of sheet l ′ = (rp + t / 2) sin (3)
2
metal air bending is shown in Fig.1. With the decrease of
α s = 2θ (4)
the bending radius, the plastic deformation begins to be
produced at edge layer firstly and expands to the where l is the cantilever beam length; L is half of the
geometrical middle plane of sheet metal gradually. And die gap; rd is the die radius; rp is the punch radium; t is
this bending stage is named as the elastic-plastic bending the blank thickness; θ is the rotation angle; αs is the
stage. From elastic deformation stage to plastic elastic limit bend angle; l′ is the length of sheet in contact
deformation one, the bend angle is defined as the elastic with the punch surface.
limit bend angle, when the tangential stress σθ firstly It is well known that when the bent beam stays
reaches the material yielding stress σs. According to the elastic deforming stage, the curvature of any point along
definition, elastic limit bend angle αs is the critical angle, y(x) can be calculated by Eqn.(5),
which is larger, so the sheet cannot return its original
shape. Once the bend angle reaches the elastic limit bend M ( x)
k ( x) = (5)
angle, the stress at edge layer will satisfy yielding EI
condition and the yielding strain is expressed as follows. where k(x) is the curvature of point x; M(x) is the
σs bending moment acting at the mid-surface; I is the inertia
εs = (1)
E moment.
312 J. Cent. South Univ. Technol. (2008) 15(s2): 310−315
Dividing the cantilever beam into OA and AB part, section is assumed here. So the bending moment is
the corresponding bending moment can be expressed as t
Bt 2
⎧ 1 2 M = 2∫ 2 Bσ θ ydy = σs (15)
⎪ M ( x )OA = l ′q(l − x) − q(l ′ − x) , x ∈ [0, l ′] 0 6
⎨ 2 (6)
⎪⎩ M ( x) AB = l ′q (l − x), x ∈ [l ′, l ] When x=0, Mmax=M, the following expression can
be expressed as
The curvature of point x can be denoted in another
fashion as Bt 2σ s
ql 2 = (16)
3(2u − u 2 )
y ′′( x)
k ( x) = (7)
[1 + y ′2 ( x)]3/ 2 Substituting Eqns.(16) and (1) into Eqn.(13), the
equation of rotation angle can be easily written as
Defining dy / dx = tan ϕ , Eqn.(7) can be simplified
as ⎡ (6 − 2u 2 )lε s ⎤
θ = sin −1 ⎢ ⎥ (17)
dϕ ⎣ (6 − 3u )t ⎦
k ( x) = cos ϕ (8)
dx
In order to derive the function conveniently, the
Substituting Eqn.(8) into Eqn.(5) and the first
expression of Eqn.(6), the differential equation was following simplification was employed reasonably.
1) sin(α s / 2) = α s / 2 ,
constructed as
2) The item of u2 is negligible.
l ′q q
sin ϕ = − (l − x) 2 + (l ′ − x)3 + C (9) Substituting Eqns.(2)−(4) into Eqn.(17), the
2 EI 6 EI equation of elastic limit bend angle can be written as
where C is the integral constant.
(t + 2ε s rd ) − t 2 − 2ε s rp t
dy αs = ⋅L (18)
Employing the boundary = 0 and calculating ε s rd 2 + (rd + rp / 2)t
dx x =0
the integral constant C, Eqn.(9) can be written as
3 Springback prediction
l ′q ⎡ 2 q ⎡
sin ϕ = ⎣ l − (l − x) 2 ⎤⎦ + ⎣ (l ′ − x)3 − l ′3 ⎤⎦ (10)
2 EI 6 EI Based on engineering theory of plastic bending, the
When x = l ′ , the maximal rotation angle in this function of bend angle and the unbend angle after
region ( x ∈ [0, l ′] ) can be calculated as unloading can be written as

⎡ ql 3 (3u 2 − 2u 3 ) ⎤ ⎛ M ρ0 ⎞
α ′ = ⎜1 − α (19)
θl ′ = sin −1 ⎢ ⎥ (11) ⎝ EI ⎟⎠
⎣ 3EI ⎦
where ρ 0 is the bending radius of neutral layer; α is
Substituting Eqn.(8) into Eqn.(5) and the second the bend angle; α ′ is the unbend angle after unloading; M
expression of Eqn.(6), the differential equations were is the plastic bending moment.
constructed, the boundary condition stated in Eqn.(11) The power-law hardening model expressed in
was employed and expressed as Eqn.(20) is employed as
l ′q ql 3 (3u − u 3 ) σ = kε n (20)
sin ϕ = − (l − x) 2 + (12)
2 EI 6 EI
where k is the strength coefficient; n is the strain
When x = l , the amount of rotation angle θ at point hardening exponent.
B can be written as The plastic bending moment upon the sheet is as
follows.
⎡ ql 3 (3u − u 3 ) ⎤
θ = sin −1 ⎢ ⎥ (13) n
⎣ 6 EI ⎦ Bkt 2 ⎛ t ⎞
M = ⎜ ⎟ (21)
2(n + 2) ⎝ 2 ρ0 ⎠
From the bending moment distribution expressed in
Eqn.(6), the maximum applied bending moment in the It can be observed from Eqn.(21) that the function
beam is of plastic moment M is only correlative with the material
properties, the width of blank and the relative bending
1 2
M max = ql (2u − u 2 ) (14) radius are not correlative with the bend angle. The
2
parameters E and I are only correlative with the material
The linear distribution of strain within the cross properties and the dimension of sheet, which are natural
J. Cent. South Univ. Technol. (2008) 15(s2): 310−315 313
characteristics of the sheet and will not change in the 3k t
k1 = ( ) n −1 (24)
bending process. Furthermore, for small curvature air E (n + 2) 2rp + t
bending, the assumption of the bending radius ρ0 changes
in a narrow range with the increase of the bend angle. where α F is the bend angle when blank completely
This assumption is reasonable and acceptable for the air wraped the punch, which can be calculated by the tool
bending with large bending radius. According to the geometric parameters and the thickness of blank.
above analysis, the linear function of the bend angle α The function of the bend angle and the unbend
and the corresponding unbend angle α ′ can be angle is as follows.
proposed from Eqn.(19). ∆α = α − α ′ (25)
A straight line shown in Fig.3 describes the linear
relation between the bend angle α and the unbend angle Substituting Eqn.(23) into Eqn.(25), Eqn.(23) can
α ′ . From Fig.3, two points E and F are defined in the be written as
line. Point E is the intersection of the extended line and α F′ = (1 − k1 )α F (26)
the abscissa axis. The value of Y-coordinate of point E is
zero. When the bend angle α is smaller than the value Based on the coordinates of Point E and F (α s， 0) ,
of the X-coordinate of point E marked, the unbend angle (α F , (1 − k1 )α F ) , the line equation can be identified as
α ′ will be zero. According to the definition of elastic 1 − k1
limit bend angle stated previously, the X-coordinate of α′ = (α − α s ) (27)
1 − k2
point E is α s . The X-coordinate and Y-coordinate of point
F are respectively related to the bend angle α F and the where k2 is defined as
corresponding unbend angle α F′ . Prior work conducted αs
by YU indicated that the calculation of springback based k2 = (28)
αF
on the engineering theory of plastic bending was
reasonable and could guarantee analysis precision. So the Substituting Eqn.(25) into Eqn.(27), the equation for
unbend angle of point F marked can be calculated based springback can be expressed as
on engineering theory of plastic bending. When the
coordinates of point E and F are identified, the line ⎧ ∆α = α , α ≤ αs
⎪
equation will be obtained. ⎨ k1 − k2 1 − k1 (29)
⎪∆α = 1 − k α + 1 − k α s , α ≥ α s
⎩ 2 2

4 Numerical simulation

4.1 FEM results and theoretical validation

The finite element method was introduced to verify
the precision of the results calculated by Eqn.(18). A
standard-implicit algorithm was applied to simulate both
the forming and the springback processes of the wide
sheet air bending. The sheet material was considered as
elastic-plastic object while the punch and die were
Fig.3 Relationship between bend angle α and unbend angle α ′
defined as rigid bodies. In this simulation, the meshing of
the model was performed using plane strain elements
According to the unloading theory in Plastic
with 8-node biquadratic and reduced integration (CPE8R)
Mechanics and employing the hardening model stated in
to avoid hourglassing[15]. Six elements were set across
Eqn.(20), the degree of springback is calculated as
the blank thickness to describe the bending process
follows.
sufficiently. The friction contact between blank and tools
3k t followed Coulomb’s law and the friction coefficient took
∆α = ( ) n −1α (22)
E (n + 2) 2rp + t 0.12. Mechanical properties of the three materials (08Al,
ST12 and SPCC steels) used here are shown in Table 1.
Then, the springback degree of point F marked is as
The geometric parameters of forming tools used are that
follows.
punch radius (rp) is 80 mm, die radius (rd) is 50 mm, die
∆α F = k1α F (23) gap (L) is 106.67 mm and thicknesses of the blank (t) are
where k1 is defined as 1, 2 and 3 mm.
314 J. Cent. South Univ. Technol. (2008) 15(s2): 310−315
Table 1 Mechanical properties of materials limit bend angle.
Material σs/MPa E/GPa k/MPa n
4.2 Springback prediction and experimental validation
08AL 256.80 156.436 555.460 0.180 In order to verify calculated precision by Eqn.(22)
ST12 178.60 196.268 612.500 0.213 and Eqn.(29), air bending experiments were conducted
on the omnipotent testing machine of electron with air
SPCC 250.15 162.382 560.126 0.218
bending tools (shown in Fig.4). The geometric
parameters of forming tools and the material mechanical
In this simulation, a bend angle was considered as properties used here were stated above. The strips of the
the elastic limit bend angle when the equivalent von 08AL steel was 250 mm in length, 100 mm in width and
Mises stress of the arbitrary integration point from the
3 mm in thickness. The strips of the ST12 steel was 250
blank elements reached material yielding stress firstly.
mm in length, 100 mm in width and 1 mm in thickness.
Comparison were made between the results from
the experiment and those calculated by Eqn.(18). The
results of experimental and calculated elastic limit bend
angle are listed in Table 2. From Table 2, the maximum
relative error is 12.50%, the minimum is 5.62% and the
average is 8.88%. It can be seen that the elastic limit
bend angle calculated theoretically fits well with
experimental data. The equivalent von Mises stress in the
simulation is the combination of the three principal
stresses, but the stress in the theoretical analysis only
relates to the uniaxial stress and omit other two principal
stresses. This is the reason that the simulated results are
larger than those calculated theoretically. It also is the
main reason of the error. In additions, some conclusions
can be summed up from Table 2. For the same material
with similar forming tools or simulation condition, the
degree of the elastic limit bend angle increases with the
decrease of the blank thickness and presented Fig.4 Shape of experiment instrument of sheet air bending
approximate inverse ratio and the increase of the yield
strain εs. In other words, when the forming bent The resultant function of springback is composed of
components with small bend angle is less than the elastic springback calculation in elastic deforming stage and
limit bend angle, it is impossible to use air bending and elastic-plastic deforming stage. When the bend angle is
other bending processes (e.g. stretch-bending process smaller than the elastic limit bend angle, the degree of
and press brake bending process) to avoid the elastic springback is just the bend angle. The precision of
springback prediction in elastic deforming stage was
Table 2 Results of experimental and calculated elastic limit verified to be accurate by the finite element method
bend angle above. Fig.5 shows the comparison of springback
Elastic limit bend angle/(˚) Relative prediction between theoretical results calculated by
Blank
Material Eqn.(22) and Eqn.(29) separately and experimental data.
thickness/mm error/%
Calculated Simulated It can be seen from Fig.5 that both the theoretical results
1 9.92 10.53 6.15 are well consistent with experimental data when the bend
angle is large enough. But when the bend angle is small,
08AL 2 4.98 5.55 11.45
the results calculated by Eqn.(29) are closer to the
3 3.33 3.70 11.11 experimental data than those calculated by Eqn.(22)
1 5.52 5.83 5.62 considering the contribution of elastic deformation to
springback. In other words, when the ratio of elastic
ST12 2 2.77 2.96 6.86
deformation is large in bending process(e.g. the small
3 1.85 2.01 8.65 curvature air bending), the degree of springback
1 9.31 9.95 6.87 calculated by engineering theory of plastic bending will
SPCC
be less than the experimental data because the
2 4.68 5.18 10.68
contribution of elastic deforming is weaken the
3 3.12 3.51 12.50 springback. Thus, for forming components with small
 J. Cent. South Univ. Technol. (2008) 15(s2): 310−315
bend angle, using the equation derived in this
investigation for springback prediction can guarantee the
precision in dimension.
Fig.5 Comparison of springback prediction between
experimental and theoretical results of materials 08Al(a) and
ST12(b)
5 Conclusions
1) The definition of elastic limit bend angle is put
forward. The equation is derived based on cantilever
beam elastic deforming theory and verified to be
accurate by the finite element method. The maximum
relative error is 12.50%, the minimum one is 5.62% and
the average one is 8.88% between the theoretical and
simulated results.
2) Employing the degree of elastic limit bend angle,
the equation for predicting springback is derived. The
results calculated theoretically agree well with
experimental data. Especially for the small bend angle,
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315
the results are more clse to the experimental data than
those calculated by engineering theory of plastic
bending.
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