A Forward Identification Method for High-Temperature Stress–Strain Curves of 7075 Aluminum Alloy Sheet Considering the Necking Stage

The necking phenomenon of metal sheet under high temperatures is serious and continues over a longer duration. It is difficult to describe the high-temperature mechanical properties of materials only on the basis of hardening behavior before necking. To obtain the high-temperature stress–strain curve considering diffuse necking stage, a forward identification method based on strain measurement is proposed in this study. Here, the strain field of the minimum cross-section in the necking region of the specimen is obtained using a DIC (digital image correlation) measurement technique, and the average axial true stress–strain curve is calculated. Then, the average axial true stress–strain curve is modified using the modified Bridgeman formula. Taking 7075 aluminum alloy as an example, the high temperature equivalent stress–strain curve considering the diffuse necking stage is obtained. Compared with the traditional method, the maximum effective strain range is expanded from 0.05 to 0.8 due to the consideration of the necking stage. The obtained curve is characterized by a coupled viscoplastic–damage constitutive model and embedded in ABAQUS through the user subroutine VUMAT to simulate the hot tensile process. The relative error of force–displacement between the simulation and the experiment was 2.4%, validating the ability of the presented method. This study provides theoretical guidance and a scientific basis for the application and forming control of hot stamping processes.