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This paper investigates the application of standard formability testing results for aluminum alloy tailor welded blanks (TWB) to full size stampings. The limit strains obtained from formability testing are compared to measured strains in a larger scale part. The measured strains in the full scale part are also compared to predictions from finite element simulation.

The behaviour of sheet metal flowing through a drawbead is of significant interest to engineers in the stamping industry. Indeed, the drawbead configuration determines not only the forces that restrain the metal as it flows into the die but also affects how the material workhardens prior to the forming process. The purpose of this work was to experimentally determine in-situ bending radii in a strip while it is pulled through a drawbead. This was achieved by mounting a camera onto the binder of a single-action channel draw die near the end of a drawbead insert. Fiber optic cables were used to direct light in the closed die onto the edge of the sheet. Images of the sheet edge were recorded as it flowed through the drawbead, then post-processed in order to analyze the strip profile and determine the minimum bend radii. Maximum bending strains were also calculated from the measured radii.