Simulation Study On Effect Of Die Corner Radius In Single Stage Deep Drawing Process

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of die corner radius on the single-stage deep drawing process of an AA6061 aluminium alloy cylindrical cup. Deep drawing is a critical sheet metal forming operation in which process parameters strongly influence material flow, thinning, wrinkling, and damage formation. In this work, the component and tooling were modelled using Uni-graphics NX-8.5, and the deep drawing process was simulated using ADEX/AFDEX metal forming software. The die corner radius was varied from 4 mm to 9 mm, while the blank thickness, punch radius, drawing speed, friction coefficient, material, and other key process conditions were kept constant. Blank holder forces of 700 N, 800 N, 900 N, and 1000 N were considered to evaluate their influence on damage value. The simulation results show that die corner radius has a significant effect on formability and that a decreased die corner radius increases the tendency for wrinkling, earing, and damage. Among the simulated cases, the thesis results identify a blank holder force of 900 N and a die corner radius of 8 mm as the optimum condition, giving the minimum damage value and reducing wrinkling. The study supports the selection of suitable tooling parameters for defect-free deep drawn cylindrical components.