High strain-rate bulge forming of sheet metals using a solid bulging medium

Abstract The biaxial bulge-forming of sheet metals is a standard test to evaluate the formability and mechanical behaviour of materials. A new dynamic bulge-testing method is simulated and analysed in this study that can be performed on a conventional split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) system. The aim of this work is to develop a numerical and theoretical technique for the analysis of materials and structures, which are dynamically loaded and subjected to the different levels of strain rates. The commercial finite element code ABAQUS/Explicit has been selected as the numerical test bed for the simulation of the dynamic bulging test. In the new bulge-forming technique, flexible rubber is used as the pressure-carrying medium instead of hydraulic fluid. The theoretical analysis is based on conventional hydraulic bulge test principles and SHPB relations. To verify the accuracy of the developed technique, analytical and finite element methods are compared and show good correlation with each other.