IRONING OF ALUMINUM CUPS

Abstract

Ironing is a very useful metal forming process when employed in combination with deep drawing to produce a uniform wall thickness cup with greater height-to-diameter ratio. In the ironing process, a previously deep-drawn cup is drawn through an ironing ring with a moving ram to reduce the wall thickness. In cup drawing, the upper part of the cup wall usually is formed thicker than the original blank. The ironing process, therefore, must be adopted in deep drawing to produce uniform thickness in the wall. This work studied the ironing of commercial aluminum blanks. For this purpose, several ironing experiments were carried out under various conditions, and the effect of some parameters, such as thickness reduction, friction, heat treatment, and material properties, were investigated. During the experiments, the optimum condition for surface smoothness through the ironing process was obtained.

Keywords:

• Aluminum
• Cupping
• Deep drawing
• Ironing
• Sheet Metal Forming

Acknowledgments