Experimental design study of metal forming

Abstract

In this paper, a statistical method of analysis based on design of experiments (DOE) and response surface has been used to study the optimum conditions of formability of aluminum sheet metal. Sheet metal forming deals with deforming thin sheets in to useful parts by stamping process. Usually the stamped parts undergo a combination of bending, drawing and/or stretching operations during a forming operation. A stamped part thus experiences three-dimensional strain, known as major strain, minor strain and thickness strain. Prior work done by many researchers and industrial establishments reveal that optimum set of stamping process parameters exists for parts made of steel. The goal of this research is to determine the optimum stamping conditions for a simple part made of aluminum material using the DOE. Future research aims at extending this single DOE to a series of experiments using the response surface methodology (RSM).