Visualization of the Invisible, Explanation of the Unknown, Ruggedization of the Unstable: Sensitivity Analysis, Virtual Tryout and Robust Design through Systematic Stochastic Simulation

Abstract

In the past decade, sheet metal forming simulation became a well established tool to predict the formability of parts. In the automotive industry, this has enabled significant reduction in the cost and time for vehicle design and development, and has helped to improve the quality and performance of vehicle parts. However, production stoppages for troubleshooting and unplanned die maintenance, as well as production quality fluctuations continue to plague manufacturing cost and time. The focus therefore has shifted in recent times beyond mere feasibility to robustness of the product and process being engineered. Ensuring robustness is the next big challenge for the virtual tryout / simulation technology.We introduce new methods, based on systematic stochastic simulations, to visualize the behavior of the part during the whole forming process -in simulation as well as in production. Sensitivity analysis explains the response of the part to changes in influencing parameters. Virtual tryout allows quick exploration of changed designs and conditions. Robust design and manufacturing guarantees quality and process capability for the production process. While conventional simulations helped to reduce development time and cost by ensuring feasible processes, robustness engineering tools have the potential for far greater cost and time savings.Through examples we illustrate how expected and unexpected behavior of deep drawing parts may be tracked down, identified and assigned to the influential parameters. With this knowledge, defects can be eliminated or springback can be compensated e.g.; the response of the part to uncontrollable noise can be predicted and minimized. The newly introduced methods enable more reliable and predictable stamping processes in general.

Virtual tool reworking: New strategies in die design using finite element forming simulations

“…This shows that the springback challenge is greater than the numerical aspect alone. As a side-note, this issue is attracting more and more attention from an FE simulation perspective [81,12].…”