Strain Control in an Intelligent Die Based Upon Local Force Control and Blank Holder Forces Available to Purchase

An experimental evaluation of the strains in an oval stamp forming die is presented. The die design included a flexible blank holder and active draw beads. The die was instrumented with local punch force and wrinkle sensors and control systems were developed in order to follow local punch force and wrinkle trajectories. Strains were measured after pan forming for both open and closed-loop tests. The relation between blank holder force, draw bead penetration, and strains were explored in the critical strain region of the formed pan. Closed-loop control of the local punch forces at the die ends was established using blank holder forces. The strains for tests with various lubrication conditions and draw bead penetrations were compared. It was observed that there is a tendency for the strains in critical locations to converge or remain constant for the closed-loop control tests while the strains tended to increase with blank holder force for open-loop tests. It was concluded that by controlling local punch forces, strain is indirectly controlled.