The effect of nanoparticle additives on lubrication performance in deep drawing process: Evaluation of forming load, friction coefficient and surface quality

The success of a sheet metal forming process is strongly dependent on the performance of provided lubricant at the tool/blank interface. Recent studies have revealed that the tribological properties of lubricating oils can be improved by adding small volume fraction of nanoparticle additives. Nevertheless, the efficiency of Nano-lubricants in actual sheet metal forming processes has not been evaluated so far. In this study, the tribological behavior of Al2O3 nanoparticles dispersed in CM202A press drawing oil was investigated in deep drawing process. Experimental tests were conducted for different concentrations of nanoparticles. The comparison between the formed cups under various lubrication regimes were conducted in terms of surface quality and maximum deformation load. Also, the friction coefficient at die/blank interface was determined inversely by finite element analysis. The results indicated that the friction reduction capability of base oil is enhanced by adding the Al2O3 nanoparticles, which consequently reduces the required forming load. In addition, a noticeable improvement in the surface quality of the formed cups is acquired.