Experimental analysis on the frictional behaviour of drawbeads in sheet metal forming

In sheet metal forming, drawbeads are commonly used to control uneven material flow, which may cause defects such as wrinkles, fractures, surface distortion and springback. Although friction may not directly change the limiting strain of steel sheets, the tribological conditions in the contact zone between the sheet surface and the tool surface play an important role in determining the limits of the forming process. Friction in the drawbead contact zones affects the flow of the material in the tool and is used deliberately to control the stamping process. Therefore in this study, the frictional behaviour of drawbeads is experimentally investigated by the drawbead friction test. To characterize the effect of processing variables on the friction coefficients, tests are performed for various sheets, lubricants and bead materials suffering different surface treatments. The results obtained from the drawbead friction test show that the friction and drawing characteristics of deforming sheets were strongly influenced by the strength of sheet, viscosity of lubricant and hardness of bead surface.