Frictional characteristics of EN AW-6082 aluminium alloy sheets used in metal forming

Abstract

This article is devoted to testing EN AW-6082 aluminium alloy sheets in friction pair with NC6 (1.2063) tool steel. A special tribometer designed to simulate the friction conditions in sheet metal forming processes was used for friction testing. The research aimed to determine the influence of contact pressure, surface roughness of the tool, and lubrication conditions on the value of the coefficient of friction in the strip drawing test. Three grades of typical petroleum-based lubricants with kinematic viscosities between 21.9 and 97 mm2/s were used in the tests. The surface morphologies of the sheet metal after the friction process were observed using a scanning electron microscope. A tendency for the coefficient of friction to decrease with increasing contact pressure was observed. LHL32 and 75W-85 oils lost their lubricating properties at a certain pressure value and with further increase in pressure, the coefficient of friction value tended to increase. The 10W-40 oil with the highest viscosity reduced the coefficient of friction more intensively than the LHL32 oil.