Tool temperature control to increase the deep drawability of aluminum 1050 sheet

A feasibility study on the tool temperature control to increase the deep drawability of A1-1050 sheet is performed. The conventional deep drawings process is limited to a certain limit drawing ratio (LDR) beyond which failure will ensue. The purpose of this study is to examine the possibilities of relaxing the above limitation through the tool temperature control, aiming towards a process with an increased LDR. The idea which may lead to this goal is strengthening the punch-nose radius part by cold punch which has frequently been potential failure area in cup drawing process, while heating the remainder of the blank to reduce the stress on the cup sidewalls. Over the ranges of conditions investigated, the deep drawability of A1-1050 is found to be strongly sensitive to the temperature of the die and punch. The experimental implementation shows that the tool temperature control is very effective way to promote deep drawability of A1-1050. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.