Deep Drawing Behavior of Metal-Composite Sandwich Plates

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Composite Materials

Background:

• Metal-composite sandwich plates, or fiber-metal laminates, combine metal face sheets with composite cores.
• Deep drawing is a crucial manufacturing process for forming these materials into desired shapes.
• Fractures and wrinkles are common defects that limit the successful production of these components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the deep drawing behavior of metal-composite sandwich plates.
• To identify processing parameters that prevent fractures and wrinkles in the workpieces.
• To evaluate the formability of aluminum and steel face sheets in composite sandwich structures.

Main Methods:

• Deep drawing of pure composite laminates to understand fabric deformation.
• Testing aluminum (1050 and 6061) and steel face sheets in sandwich structures.
• Investigating the effect of preheating aluminum 6061 on formability.
• Analyzing the impact of blank-holder pressure on steel-composite sandwich plates.

Main Results:

• Pure composite laminates exhibit specific deformation patterns with variations in fiber angles.
• Al-composite sandwich plates are prone to fractures and wrinkles, with preheating offering partial improvement.
• For steel-composite sandwich plates, increasing blank-holder pressure effectively reduces wrinkle formation.
• High blank-holder pressure is essential for obtaining high-quality, defect-free steel-composite parts.

Conclusions:

• Achieving defect-free deep drawing of metal-composite sandwich plates depends on material selection and process control.
• Preheating aluminum 6061 can mitigate defects but may not be sufficient alone.
• Sufficient blank-holder pressure is critical for successful deep drawing of steel-composite sandwich plates, preventing both fractures and wrinkles.