Recently, the research group led by Prof. Zhongqin Lin from School of Mechanical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, have published a review paper titled Simple shear methodology for local structure–property relationships of sheet metals: State-of-the-art and open issues in the journal Progress in Materials Science. The paper summarizes the theoretical foundation, experimental techniques of simple shear testing methods for sheet metals, and their applications in revealing the relationship between structure and properties. It further points out the existing problems and potential solutions in this field. Associate Professor Ji He and Professor Shuhui Li are the co-corresponding authors of the paper, and Ph.D. candidate Guofeng Han and Associate Professor Ji He are the co-first authors.

Establishing relationship between the microstructure and macro performance of sheet metals is a key technology to reveal the evolution of component performance during plastic processing and to achieve material-structure integration. To achieve this goal, special testing methods such as simple shear and cross-scale simulation are needed. The main challenges in this field are concentrated deformation zones, large deformation, and complex theories. Solving these problems calls for the utilization of interdisciplinary means, and the solutions are expected to benefit various fields of materials science, mechanics, and manufacturing science. This paper summarized the main characteristics and existing problems of the study of large deformations in the micro-zones of materials, and the main progress made in the field had also been reviewed. The characteristics of different high-resolution testing methods for material micro-zone was compared, and the limitations of existing technologies was pointed out. Moreover, the applicable range of different strain expressions under large deformation was clarified. Then, the existing problems of the mapping between microstructure and macro property established by large deformations of micro-zones of materials was pointed out, and the contradiction between artificial assumptions and experimental mechanics was indicated. Finally, the prospects of the utilization of data science on this topic was proposed to serve as potential solutions to the mentioned problems.

Potential demands for simple shear methodology in materials science, mechanics and manufacturing science

Institute of Manufacturing for Thin-walled Structures of School of Mechanical Engineering, led by Prof. Zhongqin Lin, has long been committed to solving material, mechanical, and manufacturing problems in the forming process of sheet metals. In recent years, they have published related papers in journals such as Progress in Materials Science, International Journal of Plasticity, and International Journal of Solids and Structures. These works are supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Key Research and Development Program of China, and the State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration.

Paper Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmatsci.2024.101266