Effect of process parameters on the deep drawing formability of aluminum and advanced high-strength steel square cups

Considering the recent high market demand for the use of aluminum and advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) in automotive and aerospace industries, the formability of these materials and comparison with mild steel have been studied. To design a forming tool that produces good quality, it was essential to understand the influence of process variables. In this paper, the significance degree of nine deep drawing parameters, including die section radius, blank holder force, blank thickness, punch section radius, die fillet radius, punch fillet radius, and the three friction coefficients between the tools and blank on the deep drawing characteristics, has been determined. Firstly, a finite element (FE) model is developed for numerical simulation of the deep drawing process using ABAQUS software, and the precision of this model is validated by experimental results. Secondly, due to the high number of parameters, the numerical simulations were performed according to the Taguchi design. Finally, a combination of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) method and Taguchi’s signal-to-noise ratio method was used to identify the more significant parameters in the square-drawing process.