Abstract
Lubrication is one of the key factors to improve metal-forming quality. In the process of deep drawing, seizing tumors easily occur on the contact surfaces between the tantalum metal and the mold, which greatly affects the forming quality of the deep-drawn parts. Quality-forming quality problems that occur during the deep drawing of tantalum metal are studied from the perspective of lubrication in this paper. Three lubrication media, caster oil, PE (polyethylene) film, and DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) film, were adopted in the deep drawing of tantalum cylindrical cups. A universal testing machine and microscope were used to investigate the effect of lubrication media on the limit-drawing ratio, maximum forming force, and surface topography quality during the deep drawing process of the tantalum sheet. The results reveal that the lubrication of the PE film and DLC film can greatly improve the forming quality of the tantalum metal sheet, in which the DLC film has higher wear resistance and lower friction coefficient and can be used as the lubricating medium in the industrial forming process of tantalum deep-drawn parts.