A study on sheet formability by a stretch-forming process using assumed strain FEM

The effects of sheet thickness and frictional condition between the punch and sheet on formability is predicted and compared with the experimental results of the Erichsen test as a stretch-forming process. The material and geometrical nonlinearity are considered. A hypoelastic–plastic model is used and strain-field stabilization is taken into account using the Assumed Strain Finite-Element Method. By considering the contact problem and applying the nonlinear finite-element method, the force and dome height for aluminum and steel sheets are computed and compared with the experimental results. The Oyane criterion is used to access the formability of the sheet. A good agreement was found between the experimental and predicted formability results of aluminum and steel sheets. The results show that for decreasing friction coefficient the position of tearing is moved from the rim to the pole. Also, by increasing the work-hardening exponent, formability is increased.