Innovation of the “Cut-Clamp-Play” concept for robust and efficient sheet metal material characterization

Maček, Andraž (author), Starman, Bojan (author), Halilovič, Miroslav (author), Pierron, Fabrice (author), Lava, Pascal (author), Coppieters, Sam (author)

Material Testing 2.0 (MT2.0) couples full‑field deformation measurements (Digital Image Correlation, DIC) with inverse identification methods (Virtual Fields Method, VFM) to extract constitutive parameters from a small number of heterogeneous experiments. This paper presents the Cut‑Clamp‑Play concept: an integrated industrial MT2.0 solution that unifies specimen design, automated testing hardware, and a computationally efficient VFM identification chain to deliver fast, user‑friendly sheet‑metal characterization. A perforated cruciform specimen is optimized for parameter identifiability of the Yld2000‑2d anisotropic yield function and used in a single biaxial test. A working prototype has been built at KU Leuven and used to collect representative DIC data; the measured displacement/strain response is double‑symmetric, confirming correct mechanical operation. Projected and early prototype results indicate that the Cut‑Clamp‑Play approach can reduce operator actions by roughly 70% and produce identification results within one hour for typical sheet‑metal cases, while further work is required to make the fully automated “Play” stage robust for industrial deployment.

• Language: English
• Keywords: digital image correlation, material characterization, plastic anisotropy, virtual fields method
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.08 - Published Scientific Conference Contribution
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 6 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 1047
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-182257
• UDC: 621.7:004.9
• ISSN on article: 1662-9795
• DOI: 10.4028/p-TF8dpD
• COBISS.SI-ID: 277067267
• Publication date in RUL: 05.05.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Key engineering materials
• Shortened title: Key eng. mater.
• Publisher: Trans Tech Publications
• ISSN: 1662-9795
• COBISS.SI-ID: 13565723

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: korelacija digitalnih slik, materialna karakterizacija, MT2.0, plastična anizotropija, metoda virtualnih polj

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Project number: HBC.2024.0807
• Name: Cut-Clamp-Play