Estimating the Cowper–Symonds Parameters for High-Strength Steel Using DIC Combined with Integral Measures of Deviation

Cowper–Symonds parameters were estimated for the complex-phase high-strength steel with a commercial name of SZBS800. The parameter estimation was based on a series of conventional tensile tests and unconventional high-strain rate experiments. The parameters were estimated using a reverse engineering approach. LS-Dyna was used for numerical simulations, and the material’s response was modelled using a piece-wise linear plasticity model with a visco-plastic formulation of the Cowper–Symonds material model. A multi-criteria cost function was defined and applied to obtain a response function for the parameters p and C. The cost function was modelled with a response surface, and the optimal parameters were estimated using a real-valued genetic algorithm. The main novelty and innovation of this article is the definition of a cost function that measures a deviation between the deformed geometry of the flat plate-like specimens and the results of the numerical simulations. The results are compared to the relevant literature. A critical evaluation of our results and references is another novelty of this article.