Yield Behavior of Titanium Alloy Foil and Application to Numerical Simulation of Bipolar Plate Forming

KE Wenzheng; YANG Peiyong; ZHENG Siyu; DU Yubin; WU Feiyu; LU Wei

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2025.10.004

PDF(10947 KB)

Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 17 ›› Issue (10) : 39-47. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2025.10.004

Light Alloy Forming

Yield Behavior of Titanium Alloy Foil and Application to Numerical Simulation of Bipolar Plate Forming

KE Wenzheng, YANG Peiyong, ZHENG Siyu, DU Yubin, WU Feiyu, LU Wei^*

Author information +

History +

Abstract

The work aims to explore the yield behaviour of titanium alloy foils under different loading conditions, evaluate the applicability of different yield criteria, and conduct finite element simulation to provide a theoretical basis for the forming process of titanium alloy bipolar plates, and study their deformation characteristics during the multi-step forming process. Uniaxial and biaxial tensile experiments under different ratio loading conditions were carried out to obtain the initial yield locus of titanium foils with a thickness of 0.1 mm. Then, Hill48, Barlat89 and Yld2000-2d yield criteria were adopted to predict the initial yield locus to evaluate the applicability of various yield criteria. The Hill48 yield criterion was selected for finite element simulation to investigate the deformation behaviour of the titanium alloy foils during the multi-step forming of bipolar plate. The number of microchannels was reduced and the basic details of the bipolar plate were retained at the same time to improve the calculation efficiency. The results showed that the prediction ability of Hill48 and Yld2000-2d yield criterion was close to each other, which had similar average error about 4%-7%, while the Barlat89 yield criterion exhibited the largest prediction error. The Hill48 yield criterion, applied with a zonal solution approach, demonstrated high accuracy in predicting the yield locus. Especially, the Hill48 yield criterion with a four-zone solution approach provides the most excellent prediction precision, with an average error of only 1.4%. In the multi-step forming simulation process, the thickness reduction rate at the corner of the microchannel was larger than that at the edge of the cavity which was less than 10%. After the holding and unloading process, significant residual stress remained in the microchannels, indicating that this region was prone to stress concentration, which might lead to damage and cracking of the foils. In conclusion, in the yield prediction of titanium alloy foils, the Hill48 yield criterion has a relatively high accuracy. The finite element simulation results provide important theoretical support for the optimization of the forming process of titanium alloy bipolar plates.

Key words

titanium alloy foil / yield loci / yield criterion / bipolar plate / numerical simulation / multi-step stamping forming

Cite this article

EndNote

Ris (Procite)

Bibtex

Download Citations

KE Wenzheng, YANG Peiyong, ZHENG Siyu, DU Yubin, WU Feiyu, LU Wei. Yield Behavior of Titanium Alloy Foil and Application to Numerical Simulation of Bipolar Plate Forming[J]. Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering. 2025, 17(10): 39-47 https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2025.10.004

References

[1] WENG F B, DLAMINI M M, CHEN C H.Review on Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell’s Metallic Bipolar Plate Fabrication Challenges[J]. International Journal of Electrochemical Science, 2022, 17(5): 22052.
[2] GAO X, CHEN J Y, XU R J, et al.Research Progress and Prospect of the Materials of Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs)[J]. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2024, 50: 711-743.
[3] 唐普洪, 张晓飞, 张嘉波, 等. 燃料电池电极板材料工艺发展趋势[J]. 精密成形工程, 2024, 16(2): 165-173.
TANG P H, ZHANG X F, ZHANG J B, et al.Development Trend of Fuel Cell Electrode Plate Material Process[J]. Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering, 2024, 16(2): 165-173.
[4] 沈文晶. 质子交换膜燃料电池钛双极板表面改性研究[D]. 石家庄: 河北科技大学, 2023: 1-4.
SHEN W J.Study on Surface Modification of Titanium Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells[D]. Shijiazhuang: Hebei University of Science and Technology, 2023: 1-4.
[5] ZHONG Q, HUA R S, WANG C J, et al.Investigation on Three-Stage Stamping of Micro-Channels with Titanium Ultra-Thin Sheet Used for PEM Fuel Cell Bipolar Plates[J]. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 2023, 127(3): 1377-1389.
[6] WANG Y, CUI J C, LI Y, et al.Deformation Behavior and Scale Effects in Microchannel Hydroforming in Ultra-Thin TA1/CFRP Fuel Cell Bipolar Plates[J]. Composite Structures, 2024, 339: 118164.
[7] REUTHER F, DIX M, KRÄUSEL V, et al. Model Validation of Hollow Embossing Rolling for Bipolar Plate Forming[J]. International Journal of Material Forming, 2024, 17(2): 17.
[8] ZHU C X, XU J, YU H P, et al.Hybrid Forming Process Combining Electromagnetic and Quasi-Static Forming of Ultra-Thin Titanium Sheets: Formability and Mechanism[J]. International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture, 2022, 180: 103929.
[9] ZHENG L H, YOON J W.A Flexible Yield Criterion for Strength Modeling from Biaxial Compression to Biaxial Tension[J]. International Journal of Plasticity, 2024, 182: 104113.
[10] BADR O M, BARLAT F, ROLFE B, et al.Constitutive Modelling of High Strength Titanium Alloy Ti-6Al-4V for Sheet Forming Applications at Room Temperature[J]. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 2016, 80: 334-347.
[11] QI L, GUO Y Z, JIN K H, et al.Biaxial Tensile Behavior of Ti-6Al-4V under Proportional Loading[J]. Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, 2023, 36(5): 344-362.
[12] YANG X, LIU C L, DING Y, et al.Dynamic Yielding and Plastic Flow Behavior of Ti-6Al-4V under Complex Loading[J]. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 2023, 283: 112476.
[13] QI L, LI H Y, JIN K H, et al.Biaxial Tensile Behavior of Ti-6Al-4V under Proportional Loadings at High Strain Rates[J]. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 2023, 182: 104781.
[14] KOTKUNDE N, DEOLE A D, GUPTA A K, et al.Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Anisotropic Yield Criteria for Warm Deep Drawing of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy[J]. Materials & Design, 2014, 63: 336-344.
[15] NGUYEN D T, PARK J G, KIM Y S.A Study on Yield Function for Ti-6Al-4V Titanium Alloy Sheets at Elevated Temperatures[J]. Transactions of the Indian Institute of Metals, 2016, 69(7): 1343-1350.
[16] 李章哲. 氢燃料电池钛双极板匀压力电磁成形方法和工艺研究[D]. 武汉: 华中科技大学, 2020: 10-11.
LI Z Z.A Uniform Pressure Electromagnetic Forming Method and Process on Titanium Bipolar Plate of Hydrogen Fuel Cell[D]. Wuhan: Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 2020: 10-11.
[17] NAKAGAKI N.The Newly Developed Components for the Fuel Cell Vehicle, Mirai[C]// Proceedings of SAE 2015 World Congress & Exhibition, Detroit, US, 2015: 5.
[18] XU Z T, LI Z P, ZHANG R, et al.Fabrication of Micro Channels for Titanium PEMFC Bipolar Plates by Multistage Forming Process[J]. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2021, 46(19): 11092-11103.
[19] LI X N, LAN S H, XU Z T, et al.Thin Metallic Wave-Like Channel Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: Deformation Behavior, Formability Analysis and Process Design[J]. Journal of Power Sources, 2019, 444: 227217.
[20] ZHANG R, LAN S H, XU Z T, et al.Investigation and Optimization of the Ultra-Thin Metallic Bipolar Plate Multi-Stage Forming for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell[J]. Journal of Power Sources, 2021, 484: 229298.
[21] 李金哲. 超薄钛燃料电池双极板微流道的精密成形研究[D]. 太原: 太原理工大学, 2022: 55.
LI J Z.Research on Precision Forming of Micro-channel for Ultra-thin Titanium Fuel Cell Bipolar Plate[D]. Taiyuan: Taiyuan University of Technology, 2022: 55.
[22] MODANLOO V, TALEBI-GHADIKOLAEE H, ALIMIRZALOO V, et al.Fracture Prediction in the Stamping of Titanium Bipolar Plate for PEM Fuel Cells[J]. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2021, 46(7): 5729-5739.
[23] 熊晶洲, 万敏, 孟宝, 等. 基于多轴同步控制的微尺度双向加载实验系统[J]. 北京航空航天大学学报, 2019, 45(1): 174-182.
XIONG J Z, WAN M, MENG B, et al.Micro-Scaled Biaxial Loading Test System Based on Multi-Axis Synchronous Control[J]. Journal of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2019, 45(1): 174-182.
[24] Metallic Materials-Sheet and Strip-Biaxial Tensile Testing Method Using a Cruciform Test Piece:ISO 16842: 2014[S]. International Organization for Standardization, 2014.
[25] MEN M L, MENG B, WAN M.Investigation on the Biaxial Tensile Testing Method for Metal Foil Using Cruciform Specimen[J]. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, 2024, 133: 104577.
[26] SHI J J, MENG B, CHENG C, et al.Size Effect on the Subsequent Yield and Hardening Behavior of Metal Foil[J]. International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 2020, 180: 105686.
[27] 王彦菊, 杨宇, 万敏, 等. 高温合金超薄带材屈服轨迹的晶粒尺度依赖性研究[J]. 稀有金属材料与工程, 2022, 51(7): 2591-2598.
WANG Y J, YANG Y, WAN M, et al.Research on Grain Size Effect on Yield Locus of Ultrathin Superalloy Strip[J]. Rare Metal Materials and Engineering, 2022, 51(7): 2591-2598.
[28] 王海波, 万敏, 阎昱, 等. 参数求解方法对屈服准则的各向异性行为描述能力的影响[J]. 机械工程学报, 2013, 49(24): 45-53.
WANG H B, WAN M, YAN Y, et al.Effect of the Solving Method of Parameters on the Description Ability of the Yield Criterion about the Anisotropic Behavior[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2013, 49(24): 45-53.
[29] HU W L.A Novel Quadratic Yield Model to Describe the Feature of Multi-Yield-Surface of Rolled Sheet Metals[J]. International Journal of Plasticity, 2007, 23(12): 2004-2028.
[30] 王海波, 陈正阳, 阎昱. 屈服准则对DP600钢板各向异性行为的预测能力[J]. 塑性工程学报, 2015, 22(2): 45-50.
WANG H B, CHEN Z Y, YAN Y.Capabilities of Yield Criteria on Predicting the Anisotropic Behaviors of DP600 Steel Sheet[J]. Journal of Plasticity Engineering, 2015, 22(2): 45-50.
[31] HOU Y, MYUNG D, PARK J K, et al.A Review of Characterization and Modelling Approaches for Sheet Metal Forming of Lightweight Metallic Materials[J]. Materials, 2023, 16(2): 836.