Numerical Simulation and Evaluation of Effective Parameters During Cold Drawing of 410 Stainless Steel Tubes

This study evaluates the effects of the changing die angles on drawing force during cold drawing of a 410 stainless steel tube. For this purpose, a simulation of the process by the Abaqus software was performed and the results were compared with the experimental findings. By applying Johnson and Cook’s equation the flow behavior of the steel was also assessed during cold drawing. Ring compression tests were performed to determine the coefficient of friction at die-tube and tube-plug interfaces. Furthermore, strain distribution during the process was considered to evaluate the mechanical behavior of the steel. An essential aspect of the work was to estimate the required drawing force, by lower and upper-bound theories. It is illustrated that the lowest drawing force is obtained at the half-die angle of 16 °. At this angle a drawing force of 164.6 kN was estimated by simulation. Experimental results at the half-die angle of 16 ° indicated a drawing force of 175.1 kN which illustrates about 5% discrepancy with simulated results. In addition, the radial strains at this die angle had the highest value in comparison with the other half-die angles of 12 and 14 degrees. The highest amount of strain was observed in the axial direction of the drawing process at the half-die angle of 16 °. The lowest values of residual stresses were developed at this die angle.