Assessment of friction tests for sheet metal forming at elevated temperatures

In the recent years due to the significant demand for increasing passenger safety and reducing fuel consumption, the fori-ning of lightweight sheet materials like High Strength Steels (HSS) at elevated temperatures has become crucial. To exploit the potential of temperature-supported sheet metal forming operations, the related challenges, like the qualification of the FE models for use as an effective design tool, must be faced. In order to accurately simulate sheet metal forming operations at elevated temperatures, input data to the numerical model must be as much reliable as possible. Among these input data, friction coefficients are present and they should be evaluated by experimental tests able of reproducing process conditions. Due to the lack of research in the field of tribology in sheet metal forming at elevated temperature, the Authors have initiated research in this direction. The paper alms to the assessment of tribological tests applied to sheet forming at elevated temperature in order to get reliable input data to FE numerical models.