Topology Preserving Shell Mesh Modification for Stamping Die Rounding Shape Optimization

In order to reduce trial-and-errors in die design and production, CAE systems to analyze stamping tools have been introduced at the initial design stage, recently. However, for optimal design, tedious work for modification of CAD models, mesh generation, and stamping simulation should be performed iteratively. To solve this problem, in this paper, we developed an interface program that will modify the die rounding shape in a CAD model and generate a finite element mesh from this model. The new mesh has the same topology and the same IDs of nodes and elements with the original mesh. In addition, we also proposed and implemented a framework for optimization of die rounding shape by integrating the existing commercial CAD and CAE systems. In virtue of the interface program, the iterative design-analysis iteration can be performed automatically, and three steps of the current design-analysis iteration can be reduced to two steps: mesh modification and stamping simulation.