Deep drawing of 5052 aluminum strips using Electrically-Assisted Manufacturing (EAM)

Deep drawing is a commonly used process for the fabrication of sheet metal parts such as soda cans, pots and pans, automotive body panels, etc. For these types of applications, the use of strong light weight metal alloys such as AI 5052-O is highly desirable, however, limited due to unfavorable material properties during processing. Previous research has shown that Electrically-Assisted Manufacturing (EAM) tends to have a positive impact on the material properties of most metals. By passing an electrical current through workpieces as they are deformed, EAM has been shown to increase the achievable elongation, reduce flow stress, decrease the required process energy, and reduce or eliminate springback. With these potential benefits in mind, the research presented herein investigates the application of the EAM technique to deep drawing. The results of this research show that the EAM technique is able to lower flow stress and reduce springback in a simplified deep drawing process.