An adaptive mesh h-refinement algorithm for the finite-element modeling of sheet forming

Abstract An error-estimation method based on side curvature is presented to estimate the accuracy of the finite-element discretization of a deformed sheet, especially one with sharp or quasi-sharp corners. The combination of the three basic operations to the side of element, i.e. side splitting, diagonal swapping and sharp-angle treating, is proposed and used. At the same time, using the internal angles of the corresponding elements as the basic variables, a spring model is presented to define the position of a new node. Finally, two examples are presented to show the efficiency and the accuracy of this algorithm.