Necking of Q&P steel during uniaxial tensile test with the aid of DIC technique

A lot of research has been focused on the necking process during the plastic deformation of sheet metals, but the localized necking is rarely distinguished form diffused necking by experiments, due to the limit of measurement equipment and method. Quenching and Partitioning (Q&P) steel is a 3rd generation advanced high strength steel (AHSS). Its good combination of high strength and ductility ensures potential application in automobile industry. Uniaxial tensile tests of QP980 steel sheet at five strain rates are performed to investigate the necking process and the effect of strain rate on necking behavior of Q&P steel. Digital image correlation (DIC) method is applied during tensile tests, and evolutions of major strain, minor strain and normal strain distributions along gauge section of the tensile specimens are obtained. The diffused and localized necking strains are determined according to SWIFT necking theory and HILL necking theory respectively. The test results indicate that with the increasing of strain rate in the investigated range, the diffused necking strain decreases from 0.152 to 0.120 and localized necking strain decreases from 0.245 to 0.137. Meanwhile, the difference of the two strains decreases form 0.096 to 0.017. Thus it can be concluded that strain rate has an influence on both necking strains during the deformation of QP980 steel sheet. Diffused and localized necking strains are determined by uniaxial tensile tests with the aid of DIC technique and the effect of strain rate on necking strains is evaluated.