Finite plane strain bending under tension of isotropic and kinematic hardening sheets

The present paper provides a semianalytic solution for finite plane strain bending under tension of an incompressible elastic/plastic sheet using a material model that combines isotropic and kinematic hardening. A numerical treatment is only necessary to solve transcendental equations and evaluate ordinary integrals. An arbitrary function of the equivalent plastic strain controls isotropic hardening, and Prager’s law describes kinematic hardening. In general, the sheet consists of one elastic and two plastic regions. The solution is valid if the size of each plastic region increases. Parameters involved in the constitutive equations determine which of the plastic regions reaches its maximum size. The thickness of the elastic region is quite narrow when the present solution breaks down. Elastic unloading is also considered. A numerical example illustrates the general solution assuming that the tensile force is given, including pure bending as a particular case. This numerical solution demonstrates a significant effect of the parameter involved in Prager’s law on the bending moment and the distribution of stresses at loading, but a small effect on the distribution of residual stresses after unloading. This parameter also affects the range of validity of the solution that predicts purely elastic unloading. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.