Much work has been carried out in understanding the mechanics of superplasticity (SP). Some of the present challenges in SP forming revolve around the use of lower forming temperatures and faster strain rates, which may involve pushing the process boundaries to incorporate “superplastic-like” forming – perhaps also in materials with non-optimized microstructures. For process optimization there is a requirement to be able to model both within the SP and superplastic-like processing window in an integrated way. From a mechanics point of view the presence of high rate sensitivity is often seen as the key factor in controlling SP response. However, changes in phase distribution and grain morphology, or the accumulation of damage (cavitation) may compromise this assumption. The paper will examine the range of validity of some SP constitutive models and how they may be adapted to take into account processing routes that may incorporate superplastic-like and more conventional SP deformation modes.
展开▼
