Evaluation of the macroscopic formability of metallic materials using a cylinder compression test

Several flow features revealed by hot cylinder compression tests are macroscopically analyzed and compared. Materials including AISI 1025 (100–500 °C), AISI 52100 (900–1200 °C), AA6082 (20–300 °C and 350–550 °C), Ti–6Al–4V (500–800 °C) and AZ61A (250–400 °C) were grouped in terms of formability. The shapes of cylinder-compressed specimens were analyzed and related to formability. The addition of the maximum radius increase near the mid-plane and the averaged minimum radius increase at the two specimen-tool interfaces, i.e., the “cylinder compression evaluation factor” (CCEF), serves as an index of formability. To quantify the effect of temperature on formability, several metrics were used, including the CCEF and temperature softening formability index (TSFI). It has been shown that the CCEF and TSFI have utility for evaluating the formability of tested materials and that temperature softening greatly affects the formability of metallic materials.