Some Examples of Sheet Metal Forming and Billet Forging Analysis

Sheet metal stamping analysis can be used to assess sheet thinning, limit strains, wrinkling and various binder design configurations. In addition, the finite element model resulting from the stamping process model can then be used for realistic in service studies (such as buckling) since actual thicknesses are known. Imperfections can also be incorporated into the geometry to study the influence of imperfections on buckling performance. The paper shows examples of both implicit and explicit finite element solutions for sheet metal stamping and roll forming applications. The use of Lagrangian finite element methods for bulk forging studies requires simple geometry or extensive rezoning techniques. The Eulerian formulation for the billet material offers many attractions and this paper shows one simple example of forging analysis which uses a coupled Lagrange/Euler method.