In a Sheet Metal Forming (SMF) operation, complex geometries in multi-stage forming processes are mostly common. Forming a blank, major and minor straining willoccur. Follow the straining of the blank elements over the forming process will provide its strain paths. The strain paths can be visualized in a Forming Limit Diagram(FLD); with a Forming Limit Curve (FLC) corresponding to the strained material.In the diagram, the determination whether an element is critical due to fracture ornecking is determined. Utilizing the FLD, the formability of a material is defined;the elements and their paths are however linear. Manufacture a sheet metal usinga multi-stage forming process will contribute to Non-Linear Strain Paths (NLSP).Thus, the FLD is no longer valid. Providing a tool from the company RISE IVF AB to be used for pre-strainingoperations, the objective of this thesis work is to enhance and investigate the possibility of generating the three main strain paths - uniaxial tension, plane strain,equibiaxial tension - of the dual-phased steel DP800. This study is in collaborationwith Volvo Cars Body Components (VCBC) in Olofström, where the pre-strainingwill be used in a future study of the SMF non-linear behaviour. Utilizing the finiteelement software AutoForm - specialized on SMF operations - this numerical basedstudy can be conducted. The ability of generating the three main strain paths will be achieved by modifying the blank geometries and provided tooling. By changing the dimensions ofthe punch and draw beads, critical regions and forced concentrated straining weresupposed to be achieved. These changes are implemented with the intention to fulfillthe criterion of the straining in terms of magnitude and gradient. The result from the simulations shows that the modifications have different effecton both the straining level and gradient. The modifications of both the draw beadand the punch were not of any significant use, while the blank dimension was mostvital when generating sufficient strain paths. Hence, the tooling modifications withinthis thesis work did not enhance the prediction of the three strain paths.

With the increased focus on reducing carbon emissions in today’s society, several industries have to overcome new challenges, where especially the automotive industry is under a lot of scrutiny to deliver improved and more environmentally friendly products. To meet the demands from customers and optimize vehicles aerodynamically, new cars often contain complex body geometries, together with advanced materials that are introduced to reduce the total vehicle weight. With the introduction of the complex body components and advanced materials,one area in the automotive industry that has to overcome these challenges is manufacturing engineering, and in particular the departments working with the sheet metal forming process. In this process complex body component geometries can lead to non-linear strain paths and stretch bending load cases, and newly introduced advanced materials can be prone to exhibit behaviour of edge cracks not observed in conventional sheet metals. This thesis takes it onset in the challenges seen in industry today with predicting failure of the three complex load cases: Non-Linear Strain Paths, Stretch-Bending,and Edge Cracks. Through Finite Element simulation attempts are made to accurately predict failure caused by aforementioned load cases in industrial components or experimental setups in an effort to develop post-processing methods that are applicable to all cases.

The mechanical behaviour of the three advanced high strength steel grades, Docol 600DP, Docol 1200M and HyTens 1000, has been experimentally investigated under various types of deformation, and material models have been developed, which account for the experimentally observed behaviour. Two extensive experimental programmes have been conducted in this work. In the first, the dual phase Docol 600DP steel and martensitic Docol 1200M steel were subjected to deformations both under linear and non-linear strain paths. Regular test specimens were made both from virgin materials, i.e. as received, and from materials pre-strained in various directions. The plastic strain hardening, as well as plastic anisotropy and its evolution during deformation of the two materials, were evaluated and modelled with a phenomenological model. In the second experimental program, the austenitic stainless HyTens 1000 steel was subjected to deformations under various proportional strain paths and strain rates. It was shown experimentally that the material is sensitive both to dynamic and static strain ageing. A phenomenological model accounting for these effects was developed, calibrated, implemented in a Finite Element software and, finally,validated. Both direct methods and inverse analyses were used in order to calibrate the parameters in the material models. The agreement between the  numerical and experimental results are in general very good. This thesis is divided into two main parts. The background, theoretical framework and mechanical experiments are presented in the rst part. In the second part, two papers are appended.