New method for finding initial guess of original blank in inverse finite element of sheet metal forming

摘要

Traditionally, sheet metal forming processes are modelled using incremental Finite ElementnModelling (FEM) methods. Although this is accurate, incremental FEM is very expensive inncomputation. Recently, the so-called one-step FEM, also called inverse FEM, has beenndeveloped. With acceptable accuracy, the one-step FEM method can find the strain distributionnand the initial blank shape in minutes instead of hours. However, the current versions of one-stepnFEM suffer from a number of limitations, one of which is the ability to handle complex parts, suchnas those having multiple peaks and cavities. To solve this problem, the key is to find the initialnblank profile. This study presents a new method, referred to as the modified arch-length method.nThis new method is capable of finding the initial blank profile for any parts, including those havingnmultiple peaks and cavities. The present study contains the technical details and twondemonstration examples.