Bending Formability of Ferritic Stainless Steels for Application to Tubular Exhaust Manifolds

Abstract

In this study, the bending formability of tubular pipes made of ferritic stainless steels during the rotary bending process was investigated. Three different types of ferritic stainless steel STS 439, STS 429EM, and STS 441 were selected as the test materials. Finite element (FE) simulations were introduced to predict maximum bending angles, or equivalently the bending formability, for both as-received and annealed tubes. The results from experiments and FE simulations suggest the following main conclusions. First, the pipe materials used in the rotary bending process were subjected to prior work hardening during the tubing process, which resulted in reduced formability. However, proper heat treatment could enhance the bending formability. The optimum annealing conditions were determined from the microstructure analysis and mechanical assessments by uni-axial tensile tests for various heat-treated samples. An annealing temperature/holding time of 900 degrees C/10-60 s resulted in enhanced formability without grain coarsening for the three tested ferritic stainless steels. Second, a FE model predicted maximum bending angles and thinning profiles at the extrados of pipes for both as-received and heat-treated tubes when the boundary conditions and friction coefficients were properly optimized.