Influence of anisotropy on the cold bending of S600MC sheet metal

•Cold bending of steel sheets is a widely used in the automotive industry.•The rolling process courses anisotropy in sheet metals.•For isotropic materials, the R¯ value is equal to 1.•A higher R¯ value leads to higher formability of the steel. Metal sheet anisotropy is the directional dependence of mechanical properties. It is the key factor that must be considered when using numerical simulation to predict any manufacturing process that involves plastic deformation. The plastic strain ratio, also known as Lankford coefficients or R values, together with the forming limit curves (FLC), are industry standards for assessing the formability of sheet metals. Complete experimental data used in forming the simulation rarely exists. The current investigation focuses on obtaining material properties and verification data as inputs for cold-forming numerical simulation. Uniaxial tests are used to describe the stress–strain curves of the S600MC steel sheet in the rolling, diagonal and transverse direction. The 2D Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique was used to capture surface strains more accurately than relying on the crosshead of the tensile machine. On the basis of the experimental tests results, an anisotropic model of material was constructed, which was later used as input data for a numerical model, which was later validated. An industry example is shown to emphasize how anisotropy affects the formability of metal sheet blanks. Therefore, a comparison between the physical part in the final shape and the results of the forming simulation has been achieved.