Mohammad Reza Foudeh

Saeed Daneshmand
Halil Ibrahim Demirci
ISSN 1333-1124
eISSN 1849-1391

INVESTIGATING ALUMINUM SHEET WRINKLING

DURING THE DEEP DRAWING PROCESS
UDC 621.98:669.71:519.6
Summary
The purpose of this study is to consider the effect of different parameters on the
wrinkling phenomenon of square cups during the deep drawing process. An experimental
system was prepared which consisted of a hydraulic press capable of applying different loads
on the sheet metal blank and a blank holder and the process was controlled by a computer. All
simulations were performed by using the ABAQUS/EXPLICIT V6.9 software, and the effect
of different aluminium alloys, punch and die radius, blank holder force, blank holder gap, and
friction coefficient on the wrinkling phenomenon has been investigated. Moreover, the
minimal blank holder force was obtained by plotting minor strain with respect to the major
strain of produced cups, and obtaining the maximum height of wrinkle in a cup. The
wrinkling phenomenon was further investigated on different alloys such as A6111-T4,
AA5754-O and Al-1050. The results imply that increasing the blank holder force and friction
coefficient on the one hand and reducing the blank holder gap, punch radius, and die radius on
the other hand, may lead to a reduction in wrinkling during the deep drawing process.
Nevertheless, under the same circumstances of the deep drawing process, the wrinkling of the
A6111-T4 alloy is more significant compared to the Al-1050 and AA5754-O alloys, while the
Al-1050 alloy needs less blank holder force to avoid wrinkling. Using this simulation program
it is possible to easily simulate the wrinkling of sheet metal blanks with the least number of
trial and error.
Key words:

deep drawing, aluminium, wrinkling, square cups, punch, failure, die radius

1. Introduction
Deep drawing process is the most important practice in the sheet metal forming which is
widely used in industry for transforming sheet metal blanks into hollow parts without seam.
This process has a wide application in producing parts with different shape and size. For the
process of deep drawing, different factors such as workpiece material, tooling parameters,
plastic deformation mechanism, and material flow control must be taken into consideration,
[1, 2], as thin-walled cups are extensively employed in the industry. Deep drawing operation,
which is known as one of the metal forming processes, is being investigated by many
researchers worldwide. The majority of surveys concentrate on the limit drawing ratio (LDR)
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Investigating Aluminum Sheet Wrinkling

during the Deep Drawing Process

in plastic deformation, or problems occurring during the deep drawing process, such as
folding, wrinkling, and tearing [3].The die parameters affecting the deep drawing process are
the die and punch radius, clearance between punch and die, press speed, lubrication
conditions, and the type of restraint to metal flow, such as draw bead, blank holder gap
(BHG), and blank holder force (BHF) [4, 5]. These parameters have been investigated by
many researchers [6, 7, 8], including the current studies [9, 10, 11]. At present, research
particularly focuses on the earing reduction in magnesium and aluminum alloys [12, 13]. In
this study, 2mm thick aluminum sheets of AA5754-O, Al-1050 and A6111-T4 aluminum
alloy materials are used to investigate the effective parameters of wrinkling during the deep
drawing process, and to further compare the experimental and numerical results. A blank
holder system is developed with computer control in accordance with the BHF control and the
optimum BHF for the formability of the material.
In this study, the effects of the sheet material, blank holder force, blank holder gap,
friction coefficient, punch radius and die radius on wrinkling phenomena are simulated and
the results are compared with practical results. The deep drawing process simulation may lead
to savings in time and costs, and an acceptable outcome can be achieved easily. Through the
simulation approach, the minimum blank holder force for preventing the wrinkling of
aluminum alloys is easily computed. Furthermore, by fixing the blank holder force, the effects
of the clearance between the matrix and the blank holder, different punch and matrix radius,
and friction coefficient on the wrinkling height of aluminum alloys are investigated.
2. Experimental equipment
2.1

Press and blank

In the forming process, a 60-ton hydraulic press is used, where the cylinder diameter of
the blank holder is 60mm and the loading force is computer controlled. The blank used in this
process has 61.75 mm in diameter and is 2mm thick. When the forming process is completed,
a square cup is produced as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 Square cup dimensions [3]

2.2

Material composition (sheet & blank)

The composition of the AA5754-O aluminium alloy used in this study is presented in
Table 1. Al-Mg is not a hardenable alloy and contains 6% Mg and 0.7% of other alloys. Its
corrosion resistance to seawater is extraordinary. Mechanical properties of Al-Mg are similar
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M.R. Foudeh, S. Daneshmand, H.I Demirci

to those of pure aluminium [3], however, when its magnesium content exceeds 6%, Al-Mg
processing and welding become more difficult. Al-Mg also suffers from corrosion due to
tension, while due to its anodic reaction with oxygen, it is highly resistant to corrosion.
Table 1 Material composition of AA5754-O [3]

Alloy
AA5754-O

Mg
2.6-3.6

Si
0.4

Cu
0.4

Fe
0.4

Mn
0.4

Cr
0.4

Ti
0.4

Al
Balance

3. Experimental test
Square cup drawing processes were carried out with BHFs between 0.5 to 16 MPa. Fig.
2 illustrates cups formed with different BHFs. All deep drawing processes were performed at
a fixed force in one step at the drawing speed rate of 2.1 m/min [3].
3.1

Wrinkling and tearing limits

During deep drawing tests the most wrinkling occurred at the BHF of 1.3 MPa or less,
while at the BHF of 18 MPa or above, the workpiece would tear off [3]. For accomplishing
greater depth, a smother surface, and more uniform thickness during the deep drawing
process, different BHFs were determined to achieve the wrinkling and tearing limits [15, 16].
3.2

Influence of different blank holder forces

Due to the fact that the present material is anisotropic, the formation of peculiar earrings
around the neck would increase proportionally to an increase in the BHF [17]. The blank
holder force is an important factor in preventing sheet wrinkling, in such a way that increasing
the BHF may lead to less wrinkling, however, increasing the BHF beyond the limit may cause
tearing as shown in Fig. 2. Cup depths produced by the deep drawing process at different
blank holder forces are presented in Table 2.

Fig. 2 Square cups formed with different BHFs [3].

Table 2 Square cup depths with various BHFs [3]

BHF
Square cup depths (mm)

1MPa
36.7

4MPa
37.3

8MPa
38

10MPa
38.5

16MPa
39.2

4. Numerical modelling
Abaqus is one of the most capable finite element analysis package used for the
computer aided analysis of sheet metal forming processes in the industry. The die, blank
holder and sheet metal utilized in this experimental study were created in a 1:1 scale using the
Abaqus/CAE of the Abaqus software for the purpose of numerical modelling (Fig.3). The
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Investigating Aluminum Sheet Wrinkling

during the Deep Drawing Process

blank holder employed for the simulation had the same dimensions as in the experiment. In
the performed simulation, the blank elements used were of the S4R type (S: shell element, 4:
the number of nodes, R: reduced integration). The number of elements was 6716, and due to
the precise divisions applied to the blank, no error existed on the elements. The numbers of
elements were 3051, 5945, and 1683 for punch, matrix, and blank holder, respectively, all of
which had square shape elements, type R3D4. The blank model contained 6716 4-node shell
quadrilateral elements and was accurately partitioned.
When the simulations were performed and the general model of the process was
prepared, various parameters of the sheet material such as blank holder force, blank holder
gap (fixed gap between die and blank holder), punch radius, die radius, and friction
coefficient were investigated. These parameters were examined in order to observe their
impact on the wrinkling phenomenon. The testing procedure was designed in such a way that
the parameter in question was changed in the process while all other parameters were kept
fixed. In addition, in order to find a correlation between the obtained simulation results and
the empirical results, anisotropic properties of sheets were taken into consideration.

Fig. 3 Numerical model created by Abaqus



Assigning material properties to sheet

One of the important parameters in Abaqus is to determine the material property.

Material properties play a critical role in analyzing the model [18]. Therefore, the die, the
blank holder plate, and the punch were identified as rigid materials. The mechanical
properties of AA5754-O, Al-1050 and A6111-T4 materials are provided in Table 3.
Table 3 Mechanical properties of AA5754-O, Al-1050 and A6111-T4

Material properties
Specific gravity (kg/m)
Poisson ratio
Young modulus (GPa)
Strength coefficient (MPa)
R0
R 45
R 90
Deformation hardening
coefficient
Yield strength (MPa)
*Stress-strain curve

46

AA5754-O
2643
0.33
70.23

AL-1050
2705
0.33
69

A6111-T4*
2700
0.33
69

416.5

173.5

----

0.705
0.765
0.906

0.67
0.45
0.73

Normal
anisotropy: 0.994

0.2939

0.06

----

104
121.73
185.92
454.76- 268.84 exp(- 6.45)

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M.R. Foudeh, S. Daneshmand, H.I Demirci

5. Numerical results
5.1

Investigation into aluminium sheet wrinkling with different alloys

Figure 4 illustrates studies conducted to determine the effect of wrinkling on three

different types of aluminium alloys. According to this diagram, under the same drawing
conditions and the blank holder force of 1MPa, the three alloys, i.e. A6111-T4, AA5754-0,
and Al-1050, experienced the maximum wrinkling, while the last mentioned suffered the
least.

Fig. 4 The effect of wrinkling on different types of aluminium alloys

5.2

Investigating different aluminium sheet wrinkling with different blank holder forces

Blank holder force is the most important factor that is applied in order to prevent sheet
wrinkling during the deep drawing process. The minimal necessary force for overcoming the
wrinkling was obtained by taking this parameter into consideration, with exertion of different
blank holder forces under the same condition as in the real situation. Fig. 5 illustrates the
strain signatures of AA5754-0 alloys for different blank holder forces, obtained from the
Abaqus software. As it is observed, while decreasing the blank holder force, the minimum
strain values are lower, and the diagram is shifted to the left; this is due to the increase in
wrinkling in the workpiece. However, for blank holder forces of 1.5MPa and above, the shift
to the left does not happen, which could be due to the lack of wrinkling.

(a) 0.5MPa

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Investigating Aluminum Sheet Wrinkling

during the Deep Drawing Process

(b) 1MPa

(c) 1.5MPa

(d) 2MPa
Fig. 5 Minor strain versus major strain using Abaqus software for different blank holder forces
of the square cup (a) 0.5MPa, (b) 1MPa, (c) 1.5MPa, (d) 2MPa

Further investigation and additional measurements of the wrinkle height of the

fabricated parts, as can be seen in Fig. 6, showed that wrinkling started on the aluminium
sheets (AA5754-0) at the blank holder force of 1.3MPa or less, which is in accordance with
the experimental results. Implementing the simulation on the Al-1050 aluminium alloy, the

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minimal blank holder force for preventing wrinkling, according to Fig. 7, is indicated to be
1.1Mpa, and 2.1Mpa for the AA6111-T4 aluminium alloy, according to Fig. 8.

Fig. 6 The effect of different blank holder forces on wrinkling for AA5754-O aluminium alloy

Fig. 7 The effect of different blank holder forces on wrinkling for Al-1050 aluminium alloy

Fig. 8 The effect of different blank holder forces on wrinkling for AA6111-T4 aluminium alloy

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5.3

Investigating Aluminum Sheet Wrinkling

during the Deep Drawing Process

Investigating aluminium sheet wrinkling by varying the gap between

die and blank holder

The blank holder gap, defined as the distance between the blank holder and the die
surface [19, 20], is an effective parameter for controlling the material flow. The gap between
the die and the blank holder should be adjusted in order to restrain wrinkling during process.
In empirical studies on quadratic parts and circular blanks of aluminium, if the gap is between
1 to 1.3 times the sheet thickness, no wrinkling may happen. But if this gap exceeds 1.3t,
wrinkling starts to develop, and if it goes beyond the limit (1.8t), the sheet is torn because of
excessive wrinkling [21]. Fig. 9 shows a change in wrinkle heights in the AA5754-0
aluminium dish when varying the gap between the die and the blank holder. It can be seen
that wrinkling starts to appear on the dish at gaps above 2.5mm, which is in accordance with
the practical results.

Fig. 9 The effect of varying blank holder gap on wrinkle height

5.4

Investigating aluminium sheet wrinkling by varying punch and die radii

Different radii of the punch and the die proposed in literature and handbooks for
achieving a perfect faultless part are between 5 to 10 times the sheet thickness. However, if
this value becomes too low, it may cause an increase in the applied force during the process
and the sheet may be torn. If the punch radius is excessively large, due to the insufficient
surface of contact between the punch and the blank initially, a large portion of the surface
remains free under the punch; hence, the metal flow will not be controlled uniformly, which
leads to wrinkling in the dish. Similarly, if the die radius is exceptionally large, the substance
would be released from underneath the blank holder very quickly, followed by wrinkling in
the dish [22]. Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate the wrinkling height of the dish, caused by varying the
punch and the die radius, where the sheet material is the AA5754-0 alloy, and the blank
holder force is 1MPa. In Fig. 10, the die radius is fixed at 10mm, and in Fig. 11, the punch
radius is fixed at10mm.

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M.R. Foudeh, S. Daneshmand, H.I Demirci

Fig. 10 The effect of varying punch radius on wrinkle height

Fig. 11 The effect of varying die radii on wrinkle height

As it is observed, the impact of increasing the die radius on the wrinkling phenomenon is
much more significant than in the case of increasing the punch radius. In order to prevent
wrinkling, the reasonable range of the punch radius should be 5 to 9 times the blank thickness,
and the range for the die radius should be 5 to 7 times the blank thickness. As it is shown in Fig.
11, for radii above 18mm, two wrinkling waves appeared on the workpiece. So, for this reason,
the initial wrinkle radius is first reduced slightly and then it starts rising, according to Fig. 12.

Fig. 12 The effect of varying die radii on wrinkle height for radii above 18mm

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5.5

Investigating Aluminum Sheet Wrinkling

during the Deep Drawing Process

Investigating aluminium sheet wrinkling by varying friction coefficient

One of the important parameters in the deep drawing process is the friction coefficient
between the die and the blank surfaces. Any increase in the friction coefficient leads to a
reduction in wrinkling of the blank, however, increasing the friction coefficient between the
blank surface and the die and the blank holder beyond the limit may cause the sheet to be torn
under tension [23]. Fig. 13 illustrates the impact of varying friction coefficients between the
blank surface, die, and blank holder. In the related simulation of the AA5754-0 alloy sheet,
the friction coefficient between the punch and the sheet is fixed to be 0.12, where the blank
holder force is held at 1MPa.

Fig. 13 The effect of varying friction coefficient on wrinkle height

6. Conclusion
In this study, the effects of important parameters of the deep drawing process on the
wrinkling of aluminium alloys are simulated and the results are compared with practical
results. The simulation approach is easily applicable with the lowest cost by varying the
material, the gap between the matrix and the holder, the punch radius, the matrix edge, and
the friction coefficient, in order to control wrinkling in aluminium alloys. Wrinkling starts
from the outermost area of the sheet and it is usually determined by peculiar shapes of waves
throughout the sheet. The number of these waves depends on geometrical features, the sheet
material, and other factors such as force, and type of the blank holder. Taking these
parameters into consideration, the AA6111-T4 alloy suffered more wrinkling than AA5754-0
and Al-1050 alloys, under the same drawing conditions at 1MPa. Also, the onset of wrinkling
in the AA5754-0 aluminium sheet is at the blank holder force of 1.3MPa and below. If we use
the fix blank holder rather than the blank holder force, we may expect the dish to wrinkle if
the gap between the die and the blank holder is 2.5mm or more. In order to prevent wrinkling,
the minimum blank holder force should be 1.1MPa and 2.1MPa for the AA6111-T4 alloy and
the Al-1050 alloy, respectively. The increase in the coefficient of friction and the decrease in
the punch radius and the matrix radius are very effective in controlling the wrinkling, whereby
exceeding these may lead to sheet tearing. All parameters of the deep drawing process are
somehow influencing wrinkling, however, it is easy to determine suitable values by
simulation. In this study, it is possible to conclude that the FEM analysis approach may lead
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to desired results regarding the creation of conditions, the blank holder force and the creation
of limit diagrams for any sort of material. Therefore, the need for the costly experimental
work may be eliminated, leading to time and cost savings during the design and
manufacturing phase in industry.
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Submitted:

06.5.2013

Accepted:

22.11.2013

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Investigating Aluminum Sheet Wrinkling

during the Deep Drawing Process

Mohammad Reza Foudeh

Daneshpajoohan Institute of Higher
Education, Department of Mechanical
Engineering, Isfahan, Iran
Saeed Daneshmand
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Majlesi Branch, Islamic Azad University,
Isfahan, Iran
Halil Ibrahim Demirci
Karabuk University, Technical Education
Faculty, Department of Machine
Education Karabk, Turkey
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