Stamping Rectangular Plates into Doubly-Curved Dies

Abstract

Shallow spheroidal shell segments have been press formed from rectangular plates by stamping between a die and matching punch that have two degrees of curvature. Experiments on mild steel, copper and aluminium plates that were not clamped in the die have measured the punch force, contact regions and final curvature distribution; and have observed plate buckling for a range of die curvature ratios and plate sizes. An analysis based on a rigid/plastic material idealization and decoupled in-plane forces and bending moments has been correlated with these experiments. The sequence of deformation modes has been identified; initially these are bending but in later stages, in-plane forces predominate.