Comparison of deep drawability of AA5754-H22 and AA6061-T6 aluminum alloys for automotive applications

Abstract

Being one of the most commonly applied sheet metal forming processes in automotive industry, deep drawing technologies are challenged by the concerns of global warming for higher fuel economy requirements in the recent years. To reduce the weight of the vehicles in order to obtain fuel economy, lighter and safer materials are used in automotive industry. Aluminum alloys, due to their low density compared to steels, are an important group of materials, in particular for lightweight construction of vehicles. In this study, two different aluminum alloys, namely AA5754-H22 and AA6061-T6, are evaluated for their potential use in nonload bearing applications in commercial vehicles by comparing their deep drawability characteristics. For this purpose, they are characterized by uniaxial tensile and Nakajima tests. In the next step, the deep drawing experiments are performed under different levels of blankholder force. The distance of the cup center to the edge of the die is also evaluated to investigate the formability of the designed cup for commercial use and to obtain the required product quality.