×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

better aluminum alloy for part drawn from sheet?

better aluminum alloy for part drawn from sheet?

better aluminum alloy for part drawn from sheet?

(OP)
We're currently having an aluminum part drawn from 1100-O sheet.  The vendor has been experiencing issues with the item separating at the corner in the area of deepest draw.  He has refurbed his tool but the success rate is still marginal.

Would going to a stronger alloy likely alleviate this problem?  Like 3003, 5052, or 6061?

Eric

RE: better aluminum alloy for part drawn from sheet?

No, changing to a stronger alloy will not alleviate the problem, it will only make it worse.  Has your vendor performed any circle grid analysis?  Metal forming simulation using software like DEFORM or similar?

RE: better aluminum alloy for part drawn from sheet?

can you post a print?

 

RE: better aluminum alloy for part drawn from sheet?

Dear istimewa,

I had a very interesting class on the effect of anisotrophy index in deep drawing of thin sheets while I was studying Materials Engineering at my College. This is the link to the text we used for that class:

http://www.tecnun.es/Asignaturas/estcompmec/documentos/thinsheets.pdf

I hope it can help you understand where the dispersion of your process comes from, and thus, give you tools to eliminate it.

RE: better aluminum alloy for part drawn from sheet?

(OP)
Thank you everyone for your replies.

I've attached a drawing of the part.  Dimensions are in inches.

I'm pretty sure our vendor hasn't done any analysis of the part, they're pretty unsophisticated.  They've been making the part for us for about 30 years without any problems but now they're having problems.  They're casting about for solutions at this point.

RE: better aluminum alloy for part drawn from sheet?

It could be a lubrication issue.

RE: better aluminum alloy for part drawn from sheet?

If it has been mfg then there should be no issues now.
looking at the drawing I would have question the R.030-050 corner being to tight. but this part should be no problem
to form.

it is probable the sheets/strips have naturally air age harden. or the wrong hardness may been procured check the hardness of the sheets, it may require solution anneal for forming.

change of the guard make have happened and now due to lack of experience there are issues.
My past experience is the shop sometimes tweeks the dies
to make it work & did not report back to the original tool designer. some one with experience needs to look at the die
& sumerize why it is not functioning.
it appears that this drawing requires a 2 or 3 stage action die.

 

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources