AN OVERALL NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF HOT METAL FORMING

The microstructure evolution, which is governed by temperature, strain and strain rate during hot metal forming, is a key factor to the mechanical properties. Based on the finite deformation theory and a microstructure model, the paper establishes a finite element method to simulate the deformation process, temperature variation and microstructure evolution. A 3-D finite element software for general use is developed. The simulation of hot rolling process of H-beam is especially studied. As an example, the simulation results of a C-Mn steel H-beam undergoing hot rolling are comprehensively displayed. 8-groups of experimental data under different hot rolling schedules are compared with numerical simulation results. Satisfactory agreement is reached between numerical predictions and experimental data, indicating that the present method is capable of predicting the hot metal forming with good accuracy.