Thinning and spring back prediction of sheet metal in the deep drawing process

The spring back simulation helps to get the required tolerance of the punch travel distance. This tolerance is needed in getting the required height of the final drawn part. Prediction of the forming results as spring back, determination of the thickness distribution and of the thinning of the sheet metal blank reduces the production cost of the material and time. In this paper, A Finite Element (FE) model is developed for the 3-D numerical simulation of sheet metal deep drawing process (Parametric Analysis) by using ABAQUS/EXPLICIT FEA program with the proper material properties (anisotropic material) and simplified boundary conditions. The FE results are compared with experimental results for validation. The developed model predicts the spring back, the thickness distribution and thinning of the blank as affected by the die design parameters (geometrical parameters and physical parameters). Furthermore, with numerical simulation, working parameters such as punch force, the blank holder force, and the lubrication requirements can be determined without expensive shop trials. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.