Simulation models can prevent sheet failures in automobile alloy materials
As part their ongoing work with Ford Motor Company, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists from the Applied Computational Mathematics and Engineering (ACME) group in the Computational Sciences & Mathematics Division have developed an integrated manufacturing process simulation framework that enhances their understanding of what occurs as AA6111-T4 aluminum alloy sheets, a quality material primarily used for automotive paneling, undergo shearing or trimming in preparation for the subsequent forming process. Their simulations showed how manufacturing processes influence material failures by providing a more complete picture of tensile failure behaviors of previously trimmed edges. Under various trimming conditions, their framework predicted tensile stretchability decreased with increased trimming clearances-in quantitative agreement with experimental measurements obtained by Ford.