Karafan Journal

Karafan Journal

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Formability in the Deep Drawing Process of Aluminum Sheets Reinforced with Stainless Steel 304 Mesh

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Elyas Haddadi 1
Hossein Jafarzadeh 2
Moharram Hashemi 3
1 Department of Mechaniccal Engineering, Technical and Vocational University (TVU), Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz branch, Tabriz, Iran
3 Space Thrusters Research Institute, Iranian Space Research Center, Tabriz, Iran
10.48301/kssa.2026.546912.3310
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the formability of multilayer sheets in the deep drawing process. The three-layer sheets comprised a sandwich structure of aluminum 1050, a 304 stainless steel mesh, and another aluminum 1050 layer, produced by roll bonding. This configuration was examined to increase the limiting draw ratio and enhance formability. Experimental tests were performed under lubricated conditions on sheets annealed at 250°C and 350°C to assess the influence of temperature and lubrication on final drawing depth and part quality. Alongside the experiments, numerical simulation of the deep drawing process was conducted using ABAQUS 6.14 to predict the final cup depth and analyze stress and strain distributions during forming. Simulation results were compared with experimental data to evaluate modeling accuracy. The results showed that the steel mesh in the core layer markedly increased composite strength without substantially impairing formability. An annealing temperature of 350°C was determined as the optimal condition for maximizing drawing depth. The maximum cup depth achievable without failure was 10.1 mm, corresponding to a limiting draw ratio of 1.53. These findings demonstrate that multilayer sheets reinforced with stainless steel mesh, when combined with proper annealing and lubrication, can significantly improve formability in deep drawing.
Keywords
Deep drawing
Multi-layer sheet
Stainless steel 304
Limiting draw ratio
Annealing
Subjects
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Karafan Journal
Volume 23, Issue 1
Technical and Engineering
Spring 2026
Pages 96-117

  • Receive Date 27 September 2025
  • Revise Date 27 October 2025
  • Accept Date 16 February 2026