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This study investigates the sensitivity of the square cup forming process. It analyses how the uncertainties in the material properties, friction and process conditions affect the results of the square cup, such as equivalent plastic strain, geometry change, thickness reduction, punch force and springback. The cup flange and the die curvature region are identified as highly affected areas, while the cup bottom is least affected by the uncertainties. Two sensitivity analysis techniques, PAWN and Sobol indices, are compared. In particular, the study shows that PAWN indices require a significantly smaller number of simulations than Sobol indices, making them a more efficient choice for sensitivity analysis. While both PAWN and Sobol indices generally give comparable results, discrepancies arise in the analysis of springback, where PAWN indices show superior accuracy, particularly when dealing with multimodal distributions. This observation highlights the importance of selecting the appropriate sensitivity analysis method based on the nature of the data being analysed. These results provide insights for optimizing stamping processes to reduce production time and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The validation of numerical models requires the comparison between numerical and experimental results, which has led to the development of benchmark tests in order to achieve a wider participation. In the sheet metal-forming research field, the benchmarks proposed by the Numisheet conference series are a reference, because they always represented a challenge for the numerical codes within the state of the art in the modeling of sheet metal forming. From the challenges proposed along the series of Numisheet benchmarks, the springback prediction has been frequently incorporated, and is still a motivation for the development and testing of accurate modeling strategies. In fact, springback prediction poses many challenges, because it is strongly influenced by numerical parameters such as the type, order, and integration scheme of the finite elements adopted, as well as the shape and size of the finite element mesh, in addition to the constitutive model. Moreover, its measurement also requires the definition of a fixture that should not influence the actual springback and the proper definition of the measurement locations and directions. This is the subject of this contribution, which analyzes the benchmark focused on springback prediction, proposed by the Numisheet 2016 committee. Numerical results are obtained with two different codes and comparisons are performed between both numerical and experimental data. The differences between numerical results are mainly dictated by the ambiguous definition of boundary conditions. The analysis of numerical and experimental springback results should rely on the use of global planes to ensure the objectivity and simplicity in the comparison. Therefore, the analysis gives an insight into issues related to the comparison of results in complex geometries involving springback, which in turn suggests some recommendations for similar future benchmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, composite materials are playing an increasingly important role in material forming processes because they can combine remarkable physical and mechanical properties with relatively low weight. The main objective of this work is to study the forming behaviour of multi-layer sheets by finite element analysis. The possibility of replacing the composite by a single equivalent material, with a plastic behaviour similar to that of the composite, was also numerically analysed. This study focuses on two three-layer sheets, each composed of two metallic outer layers and a core of polymeric material; on one of the sheets, the outer layers are steel and, on the other, aluminium. Numerical simulations of the bulge test and of the deep drawing of a U-channel profile and a square cup were used to evaluate the behaviour of the multi-layer sheets and their equivalent materials. The influences of the difference of the mechanical properties of the constituent materials and some geometrical parameters of the deep-drawing process on the plastic behaviour, namely the curves of force vs. displacement of the punch and the strain and stress distributions, were evaluated. The possibility of using the bulge test to characterize the behaviour of the composite was also analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to compare the performance of various parametric and non-parametric metamodeling techniques when applied to sheet metal forming processes. For this, the U-Channel and the Square Cup forming processes were studied. In both cases, three steel grades were considered, and numerical simulations were performed, in order to establish a database for each combination of forming process and material. Each database was used to train and test the various metamodels, and their predictive performances were evaluated. The best performing metamodeling techniques were Gaussian processes, multi-layer perceptron, support vector machines, kernel ridge regression and polynomial chaos expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulation of sheet metal forming processes has become an indispensable tool for the design of components and their forming process, in industries ranging from the automotive, to the aeronautics, packing and household appliances. The aim is to be able to integrate the several processes involved in the production of a sheet metal component in the virtual analysis of the forming processes and in-service behaviour. The accuracy of the numerical results of sheet metal forming processes depends of the constitutive model selected for describing the material behaviour. 10 Fan R., Chen M., Wu Y., Xie L. Prediction and experiment of fracture behavior in hot press forming of a TA32 titanium alloy rolled sheet. [Extracted from the article]

Thin stamped bipolar plates (BPPs) are viewed as promising alternatives to traditional graphite BPPs in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Metallic BPPs provide good thermal/electrical conductivity and exhibit high mechanical strength, to support the loads within the stack. However, BPPs manufactured by stamping processes are prone to defects. In this study, the effect of the tool's geometry on the thin sheet formability is investigated through finite element simulation. Despite the broad variety of flow field designs, most of BPPs comprise two representative zones. Hence, in order to reduce the computational cost, the finite element analysis is restricted to these two zones, where the deformation induced by the stamping tools is investigated. The channel/rib width, the punch/die fillet radii, and the channel depth are the parameters studied. The analysis is conducted for a stainless steel SS304 with a thickness of 0.15 mm. The results show that the maximum value of thinning occurs always in the U-bend channel section, specifically in the fillet radius of the die closest to the axis of revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]