Blank holder force, draw beads and spacers control the material flow and significantly influence the quality of the formed part in stamping. The effect of blank holder force and draw beads on the material flow has been widely studied but the knowledge on the effect of spacers on material flow is lacking. In this study, the effect of spacers in forming a B-pillar from TRIP steel was investigated through FE simulations. A methodology to use spacers (spacer location and height) to eliminate potential defects that occur in production was developed using FE simulations.     «

Blank holder force, draw beads and spacers control the material flow and significantly influence the quality of the formed part in stamping. The effect of blank holder force and draw beads on the material flow has been widely studied but the knowledge on the effect of spacers on material flow is lacking. In this study, the effect of spacers in forming a B-pillar from TRIP steel was investigated through FE simulations. A methodology to use spacers (spacer location and height) to eliminate potenti...     »