Springback prediction for incremental sheet forming based on FEM-PSONN technology

In the incremental sheet forming （ISF） process, springback is a very important factor that affects the quality of parts. Predicting and controlling springback accurately is essential for the design of the toolpath for ISF. A three-dimensional elasto-plastic finite element model （FEM） was developed to simulate the process and the simulated results were compared with those from the experiment. The springback angle was found to be in accordance with the experimental result, proving the FEM to be effective. A coupled artificial neural networks （ANN） and finite element method technique was developed to simulate and predict springback responses to changes in the processing parameters. A particle swarm optimization （PSO） algorithm was used to optimize the weights and thresholds of the neural network model. The neural network was trained using available FEM simulation data. The results showed that a more accurate prediction of s!oringback can be acquired using the FEM-PSONN model.

Study on Theory and Application of the Energy Method used for Analyzing Compressive Instability in Sheet Forming

It is pointed out that there was serious weakness w he n using the energy method for studying compressive plastic instability in sheet forming in the past. Where applying the deduced instability strengths to relativ e engineering analysis, theoretical solutions were away from practices. Its basi c reason is that simplified process in mathematical analysis of elastic bending energy was completely applied to that of plastic bending energy. Where the cambe r expressed by function of displacement normal to a plate was approximated to re alistic deflective camber, the displacement of deflected plate to compressed dir ection was neglected. With the aid of the improved instability strengths, the pr edictions on both critical buckling dimension of blank in cup deep-drawing with out blankholder through cylindrical die or conical die and the minimum blankhold er pressure to prevent buckling under constant load are universally in agreement with both experimental results and experiential data. On the bases of above-mentioned improvement, the approximate expressions for bo th the curvature and the twist used in equation of the energy of elastic bending are also ameliorated. Thus the obtained general equations for both the energy a nd the work done by internal force in plastic bending of a plate are more precis e than before. In the analyses of plastic buckling of shell with bending moment, the effect of bending moment is considered through the work done by simulative bending for ce. The method proposed in this paper can not only simplify analyses but also ge t practical result.

Numerical simulation and experimental investigation of incremental sheet forming process

In order to investigate the process of incremental sheet forming (ISF) through both experimental and numerical approaches, a three-dimensional elasto-plastic finite element model (FEM) was developed to simulate the process and the simulated results were compared with those of experiment. The results of numerical simulations, such as the strain history and distribution, the stress state and distribution, sheet thickness distribution, etc, were discussed in details, and the influences of process parameters on these results were also analyzed. The simulated results of the radial strain and the thickness distribution are in good agreement with experimental results. The simulations reveal that the deformation is localized around the tool and constantly remains close to a plane strain state. With decreasing depth step, increasing tool diameter and wall inclination angle, the axial stress reduces, leading to less thinning and more homogeneous plastic strain and thickness distribution. During ISF, the plastic strain increases stepwise under the action of the tool. Each increase in plastic strain is accompanied by hydrostatic pressure, which explains why obtainable deformation using ISF exceeds the forming limits of conventional sheet forming.

Simulated and experimental investigation of stretch sheet forming of commercial AA1200 aluminum alloy

The simulation and experimental results obtained from stretching test of a commercial sheet of AA1200 aluminum alloy were compared and evaluated. Uniaxial tensile tests were carried out to obtain the required input parameters for simulation. Finite element analysis of the forming process was carried out using Abaqus/Explicit by considering von Mises and Hill-1948 yield criteria. Simulation results including punch force and strain distribution were compared and validated with the experimental results. The results reveal that using anisotropic yield criteria for simulation has a better match in both cases with the experiments.

Method of closed loop springback compensation for incremental sheet forming process

The closed loop control model was built up for compensating the springback and enhancing the work piece precision.A coupled closed loop algorithm and a finite element method were developed to simulate and correct the springback of incremental sheet forming.A three-dimensional finite element model was established for simulation of springback in incremental sheet forming process.The closed loop algorithm of trajectory profile for the incremental sheet forming based on the wavelet transform combined with fast Fourier transform was constructed.The profile of processing tool path of shallow dishing with spherical surface was designed on the basis of the profile correction algorithm.The result shows that the algorithm can predict an ideal profile of processing track,and the springback error of incremental sheet forming is eliminated effectively.It has good convergence efficiency,and can improve the workpiece dimensional accuracy greatly.

Studying Formability Limits By Combining Conventional and Incremental Sheet Forming Process

In this work it is assessed the potential of combining conventional and incremental sheet forming processes in a same sheet of metal.This so-called hybrid forming approach is performed through the manufacture of a pre-forming by conventional forming,followed by incremental sheet forming.The main objective is analyzing strain evolution.The pre-forming induced in the conventional forming stage will determine the strain paths,directly influencing the strains produced by the incremental process.To conduct the study,in the conventional processes,strains were imposed in three different ways with distinct true strains.At the incremental stage,the pyramid strategy was adopted with different wall slopes.From the experiments,the true strains and the final geometries were analyzed.Numerical simulation was also employed for the sake of comparison and correlation with the measured data.It could be observed that single-stretch pre-strain was directly proportional to the maximum incremental strains achieved,whereas samples subjected to biaxial pre-strain influenced the formability according to the degree of pre-strain applied.Pre-strain driven by the prior deep-drawing operation did not result,in this particular geometry,in increased formability.

Study on Contact Algorithm of Dynamic Explicit FEM for Sheet Forming Simulation

Based on existing algorithms, a newly developed contact search algorithm is proposed. The new algorithm consists of global search, local searching, local tracking and penetration calculation processes. It requires no iteration steps. It can deal with not only general tool surfaces with vertical walls, but also tool surfaces meshed with elements having very poor aspect ratios. It is demonstrated that the FE code employing this new contact search algorithm becomes more reliable, efficient and accurate for sheet metal forming simulation than conventional ones.

STUDY ON THE PROBLEMS OF CONTACT IN THE NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SHEET FORMING

This study is concerned with the problems of contact in the process of numerical simulation of sheet metal forming in rigid visco-plastic shell FEM. In respect of analysis of sheet deep drawing process,for the tool model described by triangular elements, a kind of contact judging algorithm about the correlation between the node of deformed mesh and the triangular element of a tool is presented. In SPF/DB Lagrangian multiplier method is adopted to solve the contact problem between deformed meshes, and a new reliable practical dynamic contact checking algorithm is presented. As computation examples, the simulation results of metal sheet deep drawing and SPF/DB are introduced in this paper.

A novel micro-rolling&incremental sheet forming hybrid process:Deformation behavior and microstructure evolution

Thin-walled metal parts with functional micro-featured surface have broad application prospects in the fields of resistance reduction,noise reduction,etc.In this study,a novel micro-rolling&incremental sheet forming hybrid process(μR-ISF)is proposed to fabricate thin-walled metal parts with microgroove arrays.An analytical model which relates the rolling force and microgroove depth in the micro-rolling stage was first established.Then,the formation mechanism of microgroove morphology during both micro-rolling stage and macro-shape forming stage are investigated.After the micro-grooved sheet being incrementally formed,a significant reduction(between 21%to nearly 60%)is occurred in the depth of both transverse and longitudinal grooves compared to the flat sheet.Meanwhile,the width of transverse grooves decreases slightly by about 10%on average,while the width of longitudinal microgrooves increases significantly by more than 30%on average.After micro-rolling,85°{102}tensile twins appear on the micro-grooved sheet and the percentage of 65°{112}compressive twins increases.After incremental forming,the percentage of low-angle grain boundaries and the density of geometrically necessary dislocations in the formed part increase significantly,and the grain size distribution becomes more uniform.The present work provides a new strategy for the fabrication of 3D metal thin-walled components with surface micro-features.

Theoretical prediction of forming limit diagram of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet at warm temperatures

A theoretical prediction on forming limit diagram（FLD） of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet was developed at warm temperatures based on the M-K theory. Two different yield criteria of von Mises and Hill＇48 were applied in this model. Mechanical properties of AZ31 magnesium alloy used in the prediction were obtained by uniaxial tensile tests and the Fields-Backofen equation was incorporated in the analysis. In addition, experimental FLDs of AZ31 were acquired by conducting rigid die swell test at different temperatures to verify the prediction. It is demonstrated from a comparison between the predicted and the experimental FLDs at 473 K and 523 K that the predicted results are influenced by the type of yield criterion used in the calculation, especially at lower temperatures. Furthermore, a better agreement between the predicted results and experimental data for AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet at warm temperatures was obtained when Hill＇48 yield criterion was applied.

Numerical analysis of coupled finite element with element-free Galerkin in sheet flexible-die forming

A numerical method for coupled deformation between sheet metal and flexible-die was proposed. Based on the updated Lagrangian （UL） formulation, the elastoplastic deformation of sheet metal was analyzed with finite element method （FEM） and the bulk deformation of flexible-die was analyzed with element-free Galerkin method （EFGM）. The frictional contact between sheet metal and flexible-die was treated by the penalty function method. The sheet elastic flexible-die bulging process was analyzed with the FEM-EFGM program for coupled deformation between sheet metal and bulk flexible-die, called CDSB-FEM-EFGM for short. Compared with finite element code DEFORM-2D and experiment results, the CDSB-FEM-EFGM program is feasible. This method provides a suitable numerical method to analyze sheet flexible-die forming.

Sheet Metal Forming Simulation and Its Application in Stamping Process of Automobile Panels

The paper starts with a brief overview to the necessity of sheet metal forming simulation and the complexity of automobile panel forming, then leads to finite element analysis (FEA) which is a powerful simulation tool for analyzing complex three-dimensional sheet metal forming problems. The theory and features of the dynamic explicit finite element methods are introduced and the available various commercial finite element method codes used for sheet metal forming simulation in the world are discussed,and the civil and international status quo of automobile panel simulation as well. The front door outer panel of one certain new automobile is regarded as one example that the dynamic explicit FEM code Dynaform is used for the simulation of the front door outer panel forming process. Process defects such as ruptures are predicted. The improving methods can be given according to the simulation results. Foreground of sheet metal forming simulation is outlined.

A Study on Super Speed Forming of Metal Sheet by Laser Shock Waves

Metal sheet plastic deformation or forming is gener at ed through a mechanical pressure or a thermal variation. These pressure variatio ns or thermal variations can be created by a variety of means such as press form ing, hydroforming, imploding detonation and so on. According to the magnitude of the strain rates all these forming methods can be divided into quasi-static fo rming and dynamical forming. Up to now there are no reports of forming methods w ith the strain rates above 10 5sec -1, even though the exploding forming. In this article, we work on a dynamic super-speed forming method driven by lase r shock waves and advanced a novel concept of laser shock forming. The initial o bservation of the laser shock forming is done through a bugle testing with speci mens of SUS430 sheet metal, using a neodymium-glass laser of pulse energy 10J～ 3 0J and duration of 20 ns (FWHM). The investigation revealed that the plastic de formation during the laser shock forming is characterized as ultrahigh strain ra te up to 10 7sec -1. We indicate that plastic deformation increases nonlin early when the energy density of the laser varies. By investigating the hardness and residual stress of the surfaces, we conclude that laser shock forming is a combination technique of laser shock strengthening and metal forming for introdu cing a strain harden and a compressive residual stress on the surface of the wor k-piece, and the treated surface by laser shock forming has good properties in fatigue and corrosion resistance. This technique can achieve forming wit h or without mould.

Experimental and numerical investigation on surface quality for two-point incremental sheet forming with interpolator

The unsatisfied surface quality seriously impedes the wide application of incremental sheet forming(ISF)in industrial field.As a novel approach,the interpolator method is a promising strategy to enhance the surface quality in ISF.However,the mechanism for the improvement of surface quality and the influence of interpolator properties on surface roughness are not well understood.In this paper,the influences of process variables(i.e.tool diameter,step size and thickness of interpolators)on the forming process(e.g.surface roughness,forming force and geometric error)are investigated through a systematic experimental approach of central composite design(CCD)in two-point incremental sheet forming(TPIF).It is obtained that the increase in thickness of interpolators decreases the surface roughness in direction vertical to the tool path while increases the surface roughness in direction horizontal to the tool path.Nevertheless,the combined influence between thickness of interpolators and process parameters(tool diameter and step size)is limited.Meanwhile,the placement of interpolator has little influence on the effective forming force of blank.In addition,the geometric error enlarges with the increase of step size and thickness of interpolator while decreases firstly and then increase with an increase in tool diameter.Finally,the influencing mechanism of the interpolator method on surface quality can be attributed to the decrease of thecontact pressure due to the increase of contact area with the unchanged contact force.Meanwhile,the interpolator method eliminates the sliding friction on the surface of blank due to the stable relative position between the blank and the interpolator.

The influence of ultrasonic vibration on parts properties during incremental sheet forming

The integration of ultrasonic vibration into sheet forming process can significantly reduce the forming force and bring benefits including the enhancement of surface quality,the enhancement of formability and the reduction of spring-back.However,the influencing mechanisms of the high-frequency vibration on parts properties during the incremental sheet forming(ISF)process are not well known,preventing a more efficient forming system.This paper comprehensively investigates the effects of different process parameters(vibration amplitude,step-down size,rotation speed and forming angle)on the micro-hardness,minimum thickness,forming limit and residual stress of the formed parts.First,a series of truncated pyramids were formed with an experimental platform designed for the ultrasonic-assisted incremental sheet forming.Then,microhardness tests,minimum thickness measurements and residual stress tests were performed for the formed parts.The results showed that the surface micro-hardness of the formed part was reduced since the vibration stress induced by the ultrasonic vibration within the material which eliminated the original internal stress.The superimposed University,Beijing 100083,People’s Republic of China ultrasonic vibration can effectively uniform the residual stress and thickness distribution,arid improve the forming limit in the case of the small deformation rate.In addition,through the tensile fracture analysis of the formed part,it is shown that the elongation of material is improved and the elastic modulus and hardening index are decreased.The findings of the present work lay the foundation for a better integration of the ultrasonic vibration system into the incremental sheet forming process.

FEM-based strain analysis study for multilayer sheet forming process

Fiber metal laminates have many advantages over traditional laminates （e.g., any type of fiber and resin material can be placed anywhere between the metallic layers without risk of failure of the composite fabric sheets）. Furthermore, the process requirements to strictly control the temperature and punch force in fiber metal laminates are also less stringent than those in traditional laminates. To further explore the novel method, this study conducts a finite element method-based （FEM-based） strain analysis on multilayer blanks by using the 3A method. Different forming modes such as wrinkling and fracture are discussed by using experimental and numerical studies. Hydroforming is used for multilayer forming. The Barlat 2000 yield criteria and DYNAFORM/LS-DYNA are used for the simulations. Optimal process parameters are determined on the basis of fixed die-binder gap and variable cavity pressure. The results of this study will enhance the knowledge on the mechanics of multilayer structures formed by using the 3A method and expand its commercial applications.

Soft-punch Hydro-forming of 304 Stainless Steel Sheet

The process of soft-punch hydro-forming was use.d to form some workpieces. However, it has not been completely understood until now. In this paper, based on some primary experiments, in which cups have been tried under different working conditions with the soft-punch hydro-forming process, systematical know-how about why the LDR of a metal sheet is different, how working conditions influence qualities of a work-piece, and how the deformation takes place has been achieved when simulations are employed. All these results claim that the cup depth heavily weighs on the cup wall thinning rate, and a satisfied complex part can be achieved when the contacting time between the sheet and the female die is under our control well by a movable slider, which is fixed as the bottom of the female die.

A toolpath strategy for improving geometric accuracy in double-sided incremental sheet forming

The double-sided incremental forming(DSIF)improved the process flexibility compared to other incremental sheet forming(ISF)processes.Despite the flexible nature,it faces the challenge of low geometric precision like ISF variants.In this work,two strategies are used to overcome this.First,a novel method is employed to determine the optimal support tool location for improving geometric precision.In this method,the toolpath oriented the tools to each other systematically in the circumferential direction.Besides,it squeezed the sheet by the same amount at the point of interest.The impacts of various support tool positions in the circumferential direction are evaluated for geometric precision.The results demonstrate that the support tool should support the master tool within 10°to its local normal in the circumferential direction to improve the geometric accuracy.Second,a two-stage process reduced the geometric error of the part by incrementally accommodating the springback error by artificially increasing the step size for the second stage.With the optimal support tool position and two-stage DSIF,the geometric precision of the part has improved significantly.The proposed method is compared to the best DSIF toolpath strategies for geometric accuracy,surface roughness,forming time,and sheet thickness fluctuations using grey relational analysis(GRA).It outperforms the other toolpath strategies including single-stage DSIF,accumulative double-sided incremental forming(ADSIF),and two-stage mixed double sided incre-mental forming(MDSIF).Our approach can improve geometric precision in complex parts by successfully employing the support tool and managing the springback incrementally.

Formation mechanism and modeling of surface waviness in incremental sheet forming

mproving and controlling surface quality has always been a challenge for incremental sheet forming (ISF), whereas the generation mechanism of waviness surface is still unknown, which impedes the widely application of ISF in the industrial field. In this paper, the formation mechanism and the prediction of waviness are both investigated through experiments, numerical simulation, and theoretical analysis. Based on a verified finite element model, the waviness topography is predicted numerically for the first time, and its generation is attributed to the residual bending deformation through deformation history analysis. For more efficient engineering application, a theoretical model for waviness height is proposed based on the generation mechanism, using a modified strain function considering deformation modes. This work is favorable for the perfection of formation mechanism and control of surface quality in ISF.

SIX SIGMA OPTIMIZATION IN SHEET METAL FORMING BASED ON DUAL RESPONSE SURFACE MODEL

Iterations in optimization and numerical simulation for the sheet metal forming process may lead to extensive computation. In addition, uncertainties in materials or processing parameters may have great influence on the design quality. A six sigma optimization method is proposed, by combining the dual response surface method （DRSM） and six sigma philosophy, to save computation cost and improve reliability and robustness of parts. Using this method, statistical technology, including the design of experiment and analysis of variance, approximate model and six sigma philosophy are integrated together to achieve improved quality. Two sheet metal forming processes are provided as examples to illustrate the proposed method.