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This paper presents a validated finite element modeling approach for simulating shear cutting, needing a minimal amount of experimental characterization. Only one uniaxial tensile test and one force–displacement relationship from a punching experiment are needed for calibration, with maintained prediction accuracy compared to more experimentally demanding approaches. A key ingredient is the observation that the Lode angle parameter is close to zero in the fracture region, postulating that the fracture strain only depends on stress triaxiality, with one free calibration parameter. The true stress–strain behavior is provided from inverse modeling of the tensile test, whereas the fracture model is calibrated using the punching test. The model is verified for different materials by comparing force–displacement curves for punching experiments not used in the calibration. The prediction error for the intrusion is below 4%. A validation is made for two setups. The local residual stresses are measured using Focused Ion-Beam Digital Image Correlation (FIB-DIC). The simulated values are within the experimental bounds. Cut edge morphology and plastic strains obtained by nano-indentation mappings are compared to simulation results, showing a decent agreement. For trimming, the cut edge morphology prediction performance decreases at 17% cutting clearance while it is maintained over the whole range for punching. The predicted hardness values have a mean absolute percentage error below 7.5%. Finally, the effect of element size and remeshing is discussed and quantified. The minimal experimental characterization and simulation effort needed, enables an efficient optimization of the cutting process in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A rapid fatigue test method based on strain measurements is presented with simple data treatment. • Fatigue damage monitoring is related to different fatigue stages since incipient fatigue damage to macrocrack propagation. • The method allows an accurate assessment of the fatigue limit and threshold by only using a few specimens. Determining the fatigue behaviour of metallic materials using standardised testing methods is costly and time-consuming. Therefore, several methods have been proposed to shorten the testing time and improve the fatigue optimisation of materials and components. This work presents a new fatigue testing method based on fatigue damage monitoring that allows determining the fatigue resistance in a short time and with few specimens. The presented method, named as the stiffness method , monitors the inelastic strains as an indicator of fatigue damage evolution. Strain measurements were carried out by digital image correlation techniques and showed to effectively follow damage evolution during fatigue tests. Results are convincing and more evident to obtain and discuss than other monitoring techniques, like temperature dissipation. In addition, the method overcomes the main limitations of the existing fast testing methods by avoiding the utilisation of complex apparatus, like infrared cameras or acoustic emission sensors. The approach has been validated in ten different metallic materials, as titanium and aluminium alloys, carbon steels, and stainless steels. The estimated fatigue limit was compared with values obtained following standardised tests, showing excellent agreement. Results allow pointing out the stiffness method as an efficient and effective tool for rapidly determining the fatigue behaviour of metallic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel rapid fatigue test method based on stiffness measurements evolution is presented without requiring special testing equipment. • The fatigue damage can be monitored throughout the test, defining critical damage as an easy way to determine the fatigue limit. • The method allows to clearly define a fatigue damage threshold and rationalise the temperature regimes of the self-heating method. The work presented here deals with the implementation of a new methodology that allows fast and reliable determination of the fatigue strength. It is based on monitoring the specimen stiffness changes at different stress levels, as an indicator of the evolution of fatigue damage. This new rapid fatigue test uses techniques available in many laboratories, as the DIC (Digital Image Correlation) technique and common extensometers. Moreover, the obtained data are easier to handle than infrared cameras or acoustic emission systems data, and the experimental procedure to determine the fatigue limit is more evident than in the self-heating method. Experiments have been conducted in TWIP (Twinning Induced Plasticity) steel, a material used for lightweighting the structural parts of vehicles. With their excellent energy absorption capacity, TWIP steels can satisfy the part requirements in terms of crash performance, while their high tensile strength can deal with the cyclic loads acting on chassis parts. Therefore, many efforts focus on improving the fatigue strength of TWIP steels through pre-straining and/or surface treatments. However, finding the best way to improve the fatigue resistance requires time and resources that often hinder the development of the material. For this reason, a TWIP steel has been selected to check the new rapid fatigue test. The prediction made using the proposed approach is validated by comparison with conventional staircase results and fatigue crack growth standardised tests. The good agreement allows proposing the new method as a fast and efficient way to determine the fatigue resistance in metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]