Characterization of elasto-plastic transition of sheet metal by using large-scale four-point bending test

Abstract The elastic properties of a material do play an important role in the spring back behaviour of sheet metal and have a dominant influence on the depth of where the bending tool has to go. In industry, the elastic behaviour is often approximated to a pure linear behaviour defined by two coefficients: Young’s modulus (E) and yield stress (Re). This modelling hypotheses result in geometrical errors in the angle and flange lengths of bended part. In order to better determine material behaviour at very small strains, a large-scale four-point bending test machine is presented in this study. Generating pure bending and measuring the residual radius allow observation of the transition between elastic and plastic deformation behaviour. By deforming the test beam in the supposed pure elastic area, it appears that the pure elasticity behaviour of the material is indeed non-existent. Plastic strains can be detected as soon as the very first bending of the sample, at very low equivalent stress well under usual accepted elastic yield stresses. Perspectives are addressed in order to solve this difficulty, which hinders the possibility of correctly simulating the bending process, particularly with regard to tight geometry requirements.