Analysis of Sheet Metal Forming (Warm Stamping Process): A Study of the Variable Friction Coefficient on 6111 Aluminum Alloy

Abstract

Aluminum alloy materials have been widely used in automobile, aerospace and other fields because of their low density, high specific strength and corrosion resistance. The process of the warm forming of aluminum alloy improves the formability of aluminum alloy sheets, reduces the deformation resistance and spring-back and improves the forming accuracy and quality of parts. For these reasons, it is frequently used. In this work, the effects of temperature, sliding speed and normal load on the friction coefficient of 6111 aluminum alloy were studied by using a CFT-I (Equipment Type) friction tester under boundary lubrication conditions. The surface morphology of the sample after the friction test was observed by optical microscopy. The results show that the surface quality of aluminum alloy is better at 200 °C, which was used as the temperature in the experiments. According to the test measurement results, the friction coefficient increases with the increase in temperature and decreases with the increase in sliding speed and normal load. Variable friction coefficient models of sliding speed and normal load were established. Using the optimal parameter combination as the simulation parameter, the established variable friction coefficient models were input into numerical simulation software, and two sets of comparative simulations were established. The thickness distribution of the sheet material obtained through the simulation was compared with the actual test measurement. Further verification was carried out through the amount of spring-back. The results show that the thickness distribution and spring-back of the sheet obtained by the variable friction coefficient model are closer to the actual measurements (the error of the spring-back angle decreased from more than 20% to less than 10%), which verifies the reliability and accuracy of the variable friction coefficient model.