T H E S C I E N C E

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How Draw Beads Actually Work
L ast month’s column described
how draw beads are supposed
to work. As soon as the material
begins to wrap around the draw
bead and the adjacent entry and exit
four bend-unbend sequences. Only
the frictional force increases as the
depth of penetration increases the
angle of wrap around each radius.
Traditionally, two methods are
shoulder radii of the bead cavity, used to verify how the sheet wraps
most of the restraining force is estab- around draw beads. The first is to
lished. Both the force to bend (and place a thick strand of solder on the
unbend) the sheet to the radius con- sheet prior to indentation by the
Stuart Keeler (Keeler Technolo- tour and the amount of work hard- bead. By measuring the thickness of
ening the sheet undergoes are de- the solder after compression by the
gies) is best known worldwide for pendent on the r/t (bend radius/ bead, some information about the
material thickness) ratio for each of wrap can be obtained.
his discovery of forming limit dia-
the bends the sheet makes. This The second method is to indent
grams, development of circle grid component of the restraining force is the bead in the sheet and then re-
independent of depth-of-bead pene- tract the bead and remove the strip
analysis, and implementation of
tration. A round bead requires three for contour measurements. The
other press shop analysis tools. bend-unbend sequences, while a problem with the second method is
flat-bottom bead is more severe with that the springback of the sheet de-
Stuart's 2001 seminar schedule
begins with "Bringing Higher
Strength Steels Into the Press
Shop" (January 24, Dallas, TX),
"Computer Simulation of Sheet
Metal Forming" (January 31,
Grand Rapids, MI), "Amateur
Metallurgy for the Professional
37-percent bead penetration, t= 1.2 mm Sheetmetal movement ➜
Stamper" (March 20-21, Cleve-
land, OH), and. "How to Form
Sheet Metal More Effectively"
(May 22-24, Cleveland, OH).
Go to www.metalforming.com
to find these and other seminar
brochures.

87-percent bead penetration, t = 0.7 mm Sheetmetal movement ➜

Fig. 1—Video image of sheetmetal moving over a round bead. At low penetra-
tion (top photo), the radius of the sheetmetal is very different from the radius
of the bead. At higher penetration (bottom photo), the sheet takes the bead
radius.
70 www.metalforming.com MetalForming/December 2000
 forms the geometry upon beads (Fig. 1, top), the ra-
retraction of the bead. Both dius of the sheetmetal is
methods, however, suffer much greater than the ra-
from another problem— dius of the bead. This
the work was deformed means less force to bend/
under approximately static unbend the sheetmetal, less
conditions of deformation. work hardening and less
One can only assume angle of wrap—therefore, a
(dangerously) that the stat- much lower restraining
ic contours replicated the force. Theory says that only
sheet sliding through the a small increase in restrain-
bead at full forming speed. ing force should occur as
A fascinating draw-bead 33-percent bead penetration, t = 1.2 mm the penetration increases.
study was conducted earlier Sheetmetal movement ➜ However, the photographs
this year by Daniel Green show that as the depth of
of the Industrial Research penetration increases, the
and Development Institute radius of the wrap decreas-
(IRDI) of Midland, Ontario, es, causing the restraining
and reported this past June force to greatly increase
at the International Deep (Fig. 1, bottom). This means
Drawing Research Group the blankholder restraining
(IDDRG) meetings in Ann force would be very sensi-
Arbor, MI. While conduct- tive to sheet thickness,
ing a project for the Auto/ bead height, bead penetra-
Steel Partnership of South- tion, height of stop (kiss)
field, MI, IRDI needed to blocks and other process
know the exact amount of variables. These changes in
bead wrap the sheet took restraining force could af-
at different amounts of fect both buckle control
penetration. The IRDI re- and splits.
searchers questioned The situation is even
whether the tangent-to- more complex for square
76-percent bead penetration, t = 1.2 mm
tangent wrap-angle as- beads (Fig. 2). A square
Sheetmetal movement ➜
sumption discussed in last bead is designed to create
month’s column was valid greater restraining force by
Fig. 2—Video image of sheetmetal moving over a square
for their channel drawing adding an extra bend/un-
bead. At low penetration (top photo), the sheetmetal
experiments. bend to the sequence and
basically ignores the bead geometry and careens off
Since the ends of the die having tighter corner radii.
one edge of the bead. At higher penetration (bottom
set were open, a video As the photographs show,
photo), the sheetmetal still ignores the flat zone of the
camera and appropriate the sheetmetal ignores both
square bead and takes a generous radius.
lighting were aimed at the of these features and causes
end of the draw bead to the square bead to act as a
record the behavior of the sheet two penetrations. These are shown round bead. To achieve the full de-
under full drawing speed. The idea in Fig. 1 for a round bead and Fig. 2 sign benefit of a square bead, the
was simple, but obtaining a satisfac- for a square bead. In all four pho- mating cavity would have to be de-
tory image was not an easy task and tographs, the sheet enters the bead signed to force the sheet tight
required many months of develop- set from the left and exits to the against the flat of the bead.
ment and experimentation. right. The photographs show a de- To view the paper, “A Closer
Frames from the videotapes are formation completely different from Look at the Steady State Behavior in
included here for four conditions— the ideal description. a Drawbead,” visit www.irdi.com/
two draw-bead configurations and At low penetrations for round iddrg2000. MF
December 2000/MetalForming www.metalforming.com 71