Abstract
The feasibility of replacing the rigid blankholder in the conventional deep drawing process with a ‘soft’ hydrostatic fluid pressure is examined. The recommended fluid pressure range (the ‘working zone’) which guarantees a sound product in different circumstances is presented. The locus curve for possible failure by wrinkling of the flange and the locus curve for possible ductile rupture along the wall provide the lower and the upper limits respectively of the ‘working zone’. These loci are found by a systematic series of deep drawing tests with different constant fluid pressure blankholders for three kinds of materials (copper, aluminium and stainless steel) at various thicknesses and friction conditions. The influence of the friction coefficient, the drawing ratio and the workpiece wall thickness on the blankholder fluid pressure needed to suppress flange wrinkling becomes evident experimentally.