Innovative design of the Press-Hardening process by means of physical simulation

This thesis focused on the study of the Press-Hardening process to manufacture components with customized properties by combining physical simulation with numerical Finite Element (FE) process modeling. The study allowed to investigate the effects of the process parameters on mechanical properties of the component as a function of the material used in the process and of the tailored technology adopted to obtain ductile and resistant areas on one same component. Specifically, advanced high-strength steels, the well-known USIBOR®1500 and the recently developed steel the USIBOR®2000, have been compared in the application of tailored technologies aimed at increasing ductility in some regions by generating a predominantly ferritic-pearlitic microstructure ( Tailored Heated Blank approach) or a predominantly bainitic microstructure (Tailored Tool Tempering approach). The combination of physical and numerical simulation has proved to be an efficient methodology for designing the Press-Hardening process since, unlike the classic post-forming analyses, it is possible, without material and time waste, to predict mechanical properties of the part, by performing laboratory tests on small samples. Therefore, this work has a great impact for the industrial world in view of a robust design of processes, optimizing costs and times. Furthermore, the mechanical characterization of innovative materials and the study of new production processes are of great interest also in the academic field.