Ductile fracture of AISI 304L stainless steel sheet in stretching

The present study focuses upon the numerical investigation of fracture initiation of austenitic stainless steel, AISI 304L, during a forming process leading to an expansion strain path. Hence, a combined experimental and numerical approach was tested. Monotonic tensile tests up to fracture were carried out. Load-extensometer displacement curves and a major strain distribution were measured. Numerical simulations of the tensile test up to rupture were carried out to calibrate damage parameters of several macroscopic fracture criteria. Numerical simulations of the Erichsen test were also carried out to verify the validity of the determined parameters of the ductile fracture criteria. The numerical predictions of the strain field, the onset of fracture, and the fracture location were compared with the experimental results. The simulation results show that the Rice-Tracey or Brozzo fracture criteria are reliable predictors of the onset of fracture of AISI 304L in the Erichsen test. More precisely, the Rice-Tracey criterion is the most effective to predict the ductile fracture in this case.