Using incremental forming to calibrate a void nucleation model for automotive aluminum sheet alloys

Abstract A novel method for the quantification of void nucleation rates in sheet material is presented. An incremental sheet forming process is employed to create large regions of homogeneous deformation, such that material density changes can then be used to quantify the evolution of void volume fraction with applied strain. This technique is employed to calibrate the void nucleation behaviour of three automotive aluminum sheet alloys (AA5182, AA5754 and AA6111) for incorporation into finite element method models which employ the Gurson–Tvergaard–Needleman (GTN) constitutive softening equations.