Experimental Characterization of Heat Transfer Coefficients During Hot Forming Die Quenching of Boron Steel

The heat transfer coefficient (HTC) between the sheet metal and the cold tool is required to predict the final microstructure and mechanical properties of parts manufactured via hot forming die quenching. Temperature data obtained from hot stamping experiments conducted on boron steel blanks were processed using an inverse heat conduction algorithm to calculate heat fluxes and temperatures at the blank/die interface. The effect of the thermocouple response time on the calculated heat flux was compensated by minimizing the heat imbalance between the blank and the die. Peak HTCs obtained at the end of the stamping phase match steady-state model predictions. At higher blank temperatures, the time-dependent deformation of contact asperities is associated with a transient regime in which calculated HTCs are a function of the initial stamping temperature.