Evaluation of Drawing Force and Thickness Distribution in the Deep-Drawing Process with Variable Blank-Holding

Abstract

In the deep drawing process, the blank-holding force (BHF) is an important process parameter affecting the energy consumption and the successful production of parts. In the present work, both experiments and finite element simulations have been conducted to investigate the influence of constant and time variable BHF on drawing force (DF) and thickness distribution in the deep drawing process of cylindrical and square cups. A finite element model was developed in the AutoForm software and validated with experiments. The developed model has been used for the simulation of deep drawing process of AA6016-T4 aluminum alloy sheet. The experimental and numerical results show that, using a variable instead of a constant BHF, the DF can be decreased in the expense of wall thickening.