Simulative Study on Anisotropic Deformation of a Large Sheet-Hydroformed Motorcycle Fuel Tank

In regard to shaping up a complex-shaped, largely strained industrial forming part, sheet hydroforming (SHF) is one of the primary processes utilized to address these challenges. Before actual tooling fabrication, the finite element (FE) simulation is, nowadays, commonly employed to assess the feasibility of the process and tooling design. Therein, material modelling, especially of the distinguishing deformation anisotropy unavoidable in cold rolled sheet metal, plays a vital role. This study, therefore, seeks to enhance the capability of the FE simulation on sheet hydroforming of an SPC270 mild steel sheet comparatively through the von Mises, Hill’48, and Yld2000-2d yield criteria. Additionally, the hybrid Swift-Voce (HSV) model is applied to refine and extend the experimentally determined uniaxial flow stress curve. The prediction accuracy is evaluated on the basis of two geometrical deviations such as the sheet thickness distribution and tank surface profile. The results show that the Yld2000-2d yield model obviously leads to the most accurate geometric estimation for both evaluation criteria.