Experimental study
Flat portions of cold-rolled sections (e.g., cold-rolled hollow
sections) are usually subjected to a certain amount of cold work,
their virgin material properties cannot be obtained by examining
the mechanical properties of their flat materials. However, flat
portions of press-braked sections are usually free from the cold-
work effect. Therefore, press-braked corners have been used in
the present study. In the experimental study, two batches of
tension coupon tests on both flat and corner specimens were
performed. All specimens were prepared and tested according to
specifications in AS 1391:1991 [21]. Specimens in the first batch
and the second batch possessed the parallel lengths of about
120 mm and 60 mm respectively, and they were tested under the
displacement control at the displacement rates of 0.2 mm/min
and 0.1 mm/min respectively. As a result, a slow constant strain
rate of about 3 -
105 s1 was used throughout each test, so that
the strain-rate effect can be significantly reduced. Thus, the
strain-rate effects on both flat and corner specimens were
considered to be the same. Electrical strain gauges were placed
on two opposite faces at the mid-length of each specimen
(including flat and corner specimens) to measure the initial
stress–strain data up to strains of about 1–3%, and the average
of two strain readings was taken. Extensometers capable of 100%
tensile strain measurement were used to measure the full-range
stress–strain behaviour up to fracture for each flat or corner
specimen. A gauge length of 50 mm was used for both flat and
corner specimens, unless otherwise stated. The static load was
obtained by pausing the applied straining for 1.5 min near the
0.2% proof stress, ultimate strength, and some intermediate
stresses.
In each batch, two austenitic stainless steel grades including grades
304 and 316L were considered and provided in 1220 mm-
2200 mm
sheets with nominal thicknesses t of 2 mm. For each stainless steel
grade in each batch, both flat and corner specimens were cut and
prepared from the same stainless steel sheet, and two different inner
corner radii ri were considered with their nominal values being
ri ¼4 mm and 6 mm respectively. Therefore, measured mechanical
properties of flat specimens can be treated as virgin material proper-
ties for those corners produced from the same sheet. All specimens
were taken from positions located one quarter of the sheet width from
both edges. To measure material anisotropy characteristics of each
sheet, flat specimens were cut along the longitudinal (L), transverse
(T), and 451 diagonal (D) directions respectively. For each flat speci-
men, the width within the parallel length was 12.5 mm. To prepare
corner specimens, smaller stainless steel strips were cut first from the
sheets, and then press-braked into angle sections. Each corner speci-
men was fabricated from each of these press-braked angles, and only
the corner region was remained within the parallel length of the
specimen. The fold line of each angle coincided with the longitudinal
direction of the sheet. The inner radius of each corner specimen was
measured by using a radius gauge and the measured value was
confirmed by measuring the radius of the punch using a micrometer.
The chord width of each corner specimen, the width of each flat
specimen and the thickness of each flat or corner specimen were
measured within the gauge length by using a micrometer. The cross-
sectional area of each corner specimen was determined based on the
measured inner radius, chord width, thickness and the geometrical
relationship of these basic cross-sectional dimensions.