Takamura, Masato, Ohura, Kenichi, Sunaga, Hideyuki, Kuwabara, Toshihiko, Makinouchi, Akitake, Teodosiu, Cristian, Ghosh, S., Castro, J. C., and Lee, J. K.
In sheet forming simulations using the finite-element method (FEM), the elastic deformation of tools during the forming process can play an important role, particularly when accurate analysis is required to predict complex defects such as springback phenomena. However, in simulations of stamping parts with complex geometries, such as automotive body parts, it would be necessary to use hundreds of thousands or even more elements for a tool model to take into account its elastic deformation within a coupled FEM analysis. Therefore, in most simulations based on incremental FEM, tools are regarded as non-deformable bodies to avoid excessive computation times. In this study, the authors propose an efficient algorithm to deal with the contact between the sheet and the deformable tools, which is specialized for the coupling of the effects between nonlinear-elastoplastic and linear-elastic bodies in the framework of a static explicit time integration scheme. Stamping experiments of square cup deep drawing with a flexible blank holder were also conducted and the results compared with numerical ones. These results confirmed the ability of the coupled simulations to predict the influence of the tool elasticity on the behavior of the sheet. © 2004 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]