Abstract
The current understanding of sheet metal stamping processes is discussed in the light of materials’ ability to distribute plastic strains in uniaxial and biaxial deformation. The focus is on the plastic flow properties, namely strain hardening and strain-rate sensitivity. Distribution of strain from uniaxial tensile specimens and sheets stretched over a rigid punch are presented for a number of sheet materials to illustrate the importance of these properties. Some effects of deformation rate are also presented.