Investigation on the variation of deep drawability of STS304 using FEM simulations

The main emphasis of the present study has been placed on the combined effects of mechanical properties of STS304 and deep drawing processing parameters such as temperature, blank shape and holding pressure. A FEM analysis of the deep drawing process was performed by commercial package, PAM-STAMP, in order to investigate the deformation behavior and defect prediction during the process. Optimum processing variables such as initial holding pressure, blank shape and temperature on the deformation behavior of the blank were described. The wrinkles found at the corner of the blank are attributed to the unbalanced inflow of the sheet metal between the step edge. An optimum blank design for the purpose of eliminating the wrinkles is determined using finite-element analysis. The good agreement between the simulation results and those observed in the wrinkle-free production part validates the accuracy of the finite-element analysis, and demonstrates the advantage of using finite-element analysis for blank design.