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This paper gives a review of the finite element techniques (FE) applied in the area of material processing. The latest trends in metal forming, non‐metal forming, powder metallurgy and composite material processing are briefly discussed. The range of applications of finite elements on these subjects is extremely wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore the aim of the paper is to give FE researchers/users only an encyclopaedic view of the different possibilities that exist today in the various fields mentioned above. An appendix included at the end of the paper presents a bibliography on finite element applications in material processing for 1994‐1996, where 1,370 references are listed. This bibliography is an updating of the paper written by Brannberg and Mackerle which has been published in Engineering Computations, Vol. 11 No. 5, 1994, pp. 413‐55.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new explicit time integration algorithm for solution to the linear and non-linear finite element equations of structural dynamic and wave propagation problems.

The algorithm is completely explicit so that no linear equation system requires solving, if the mass matrix of the finite element equation is diagonal and whether the damping matrix does or not. The algorithm is a single-step method that has the simple starting and is applicable to the analysis with the variable time step size. The algorithm is second-order accurate and conditionally stable. Its numerical stability, dissipation and dispersion are analyzed for the dynamic single-degree-of-freedom equation. The stability of the multi-degrees-of-freedom non-proportional damping system can be evaluated directly by the stability theory on ordinary differential equation.

The performance of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by several numerical examples including the linear single-degree-of-freedom problem, non-linear two-degree-of-freedom problem, wave propagation problem in two-dimensional layer and seismic elastoplastic analysis of high-rise structure.

A new single-step second-order accurate explicit time integration algorithm is proposed to solve the linear and non-linear dynamic finite element equations. The algorithm has advantages on the numerical stability and accuracy over the existing modified central difference method and Chung-Lee method though the theory and numerical analyses.

A numerical technique is described for the analysis of multiple interacting deformable bodies undergoing large displacements and rotations. Each body is considered an individual discrete unit, which is idealized by a finite element model. Discrete finite element models interact with their surroundings through contact stresses, which are continually updated as the elements move and deform. The method of analysis consists of a finite element formulation based on a generalized explicit updated Lagrangian method. This formulation is a general finite element formulation, that permits the large deformation analysis of both continuum and discontinuum systems. Different validations of the proposed method of analysis, including cases that involve very large rotations, as well as some examples that demonstrate the application of the discrete finite element method to problems in rock mechanics are presented and discussed in the paper.

Numerical simulation of the single point incremental forming (SPIF) processes can be very demanding and time consuming due to the constantly changing contact conditions between the tool and the sheet surface, as well as the nonlinear material behaviour combined with non-monotonic strain paths. The purpose of this paper is to propose an adaptive remeshing technique implemented in the in-house implicit finite element code LAGAMINE, to reduce the simulation time. This remeshing technique automatically refines only a portion of the sheet mesh in vicinity of the tool, therefore following the tool motion. As a result, refined meshes are avoided and consequently the total CPU time can be drastically reduced.

SPIF is a dieless manufacturing process in which a sheet is deformed by using a tool with a spherical tip. This dieless feature makes the process appropriate for rapid-prototyping and allows for an innovative possibility to reduce overall costs for small batches, since the process can be performed in a rapid and economic way without expensive tooling. As a consequence, research interest related to SPIF process has been growing over the last years.

In this work, the proposed automatic refinement technique is applied within a reduced enhanced solid-shell framework to further improve numerical efficiency. In this sense, the use of a hexahedral finite element allows the possibility to use general 3D constitutive laws. Additionally, a direct consideration of thickness variations, double-sided contact conditions and evaluation of all components of the stress field are available with solid-shell and not with shell elements. Additionally, validations by means of benchmarks are carried out, with comparisons against experimental results.

It is worth noting that no previous work has been carried out using remeshing strategies combined with hexahedral elements in order to improve the computational efficiency resorting to an implicit scheme, which makes this work innovative. Finally, it has been shown that it is possible to perform accurate and efficient finite element simulations of SPIF process, resorting to implicit analysis and continuum elements. This is definitively a step-forward on the state-of-art in this field.

The distinct element method as proposed by Cundall and Strack uses the computationally efficient, explicit, central difference time integration scheme. A limitation of this scheme is that it is only conditionally stable, so small time steps must be used. Some researchers have proposed using an implicit time integration scheme to avoid the stability issues arising from the explicit time integrator typically used in these simulations. However, these schemes are computationally expensive and can require a significant number of iterations to form the stiffness matrix that is compatible with the contact state at the end of each time step. In this paper, a new, simple approach for calculating the critical time increment in explicit discrete element simulations is proposed. Using this approach, it is shown that the critical time increment is a function of the current contact conditions. Considering both two‐ and three‐dimensional scenarios, the proposed refined estimates of the critical time step indicate that the earlier recommendations contained in the literature can be unconservative, in that they often overestimate the actual critical time step. A three‐dimensional simulation of a problem with a known analytical solution illustrates the potential for erroneous results to be obtained from discrete element simulations, if the time‐increment exceeds the critical time step for stable analysis.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the performance of implicit and explicit integration schemes for simulating the metal rolling process using commercial software packages ANSYS™ and LS-DYNA™.

For the industrial application of finite element method, the time discretization is one of the most important factors that determine the stability and efficiency of the analysis. An iterative approach, which is unconditionally stable in linear analyses, is the obvious choice for a quasi-static problem such as metal rolling. However, this approach may be challenging in achieving convergence with non-linear material behavior and complicated contact conditions. Therefore, a non-iterative method is usually adopted, in order to achieve computational accuracy through very small time steps. Models using both methods were constructed and compared for computational efficiency.

The results indicate that the explicit method yields higher levels of efficiency compared to the implicit method as model complexity increases. Furthermore, the implicit method displayed instabilities and numerical difficulties in certain load conditions further disfavoring the solver’s performance.

Comparison of the implicit and explicit procedures for time stepping was applied in 3D finite element analysis of the plate rolling process in order to evaluate and quantify the computational efficiency.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a computational approach to establish the effect of various flow drilling screw (FS) process and material parameters on the quality and the mechanical performance of the resulting FS joints.

Toward that end, a sequence of three distinct computational analyses is developed. These analyses include: (a) finite-element modeling and simulations of the FS process; (b) determination of the mechanical properties of the resulting FS joints through the use of three-dimensional, continuum finite-element-based numerical simulations of various mechanical tests performed on the FS joints; and (c) determination, parameterization and validation of the constitutive relations for the simplified FS connectors, using the results obtained in (b) and the available experimental results. The availability of such connectors is mandatory in large-scale computational analyses of whole-vehicle crash or even in simulations of vehicle component manufacturing, e.g. car-body electro-coat paint-baking process. In such simulations, explicit three-dimensional representation of all FS joints is associated with a prohibitive computational cost.

Virtual testing of the shell components fastened using the joint connectors validated the ability of these line elements to realistically account for the strength, ductility and toughness of the three-dimensional FS joints.

The approach developed in the present work can be used, within an engineering-optimization procedure, to adjust the FS process and material parameters (design variables) in order to obtain a desired combination of the FS-joint mechanical properties (objective function).

Current modellings of granular collapse are lack of considering the effect of soil density. This paper aims to present a numerical method to analyse the collapse of granular column based on the critical-state soil mechanics.

In the proposed method, a simple critical-state based constitutive model is first adopted and implemented into a finite element code using the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian technique for large deformation analysis. Simulations of column collapse with various aspect ratios are then conducted for a given initial soil density. The effect of aspect ratio on the final size of deposit morphology, dynamical collapse profiles and the stable region is discussed comparing to experimental results. Moreover, complementary simulations with various initial soil densities on each aspect ratio are conducted.

Simulations show that a lower value of initial density leads to a lower final deposit height and a longer run-out distance. The simulated evolutions of kinetic energy and collapsing profile with time by the proposed numerical approach also show clearly a soil density-dependent collapse process.

To the end, this study can improve the understanding of column collapse in different aspect ratios and soil densities, and provide a computational tool for the analysis of real scale granular flow.

The originality of this paper is proposed in a numerical approach to model granular column collapse considering the influences of aspect ratio and initial void ratio. The proposed approach is based on the finite element platform with coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian technique for large deformation analysis and implementing the critical-state based model accounting for the effect of soil density.

This paper aims to utilize purpose advanced fluid‐structure interaction, non‐linear dynamics, finite‐element analyses in order to investigate various phenomena and processes accompanying blast wave generation, propagation and interaction and to assess the blast‐wave‐mitigation potential of a piston‐cylinder assembly placed in front of the target structure.

The employed computational methods and tools are verified and validated by first demonstrating that they can quite accurately reproduce analytical solutions for a couple of well‐defined blast wave propagation and interaction problems.

The methods/tools are used to investigate the piston‐cylinder blast‐mitigation concept and the results obtained clearly reveal that significant blast‐mitigation effects can be achieved through the use of this concept. Furthermore, the results showed that the extent of the blast‐mitigation effect is a sensitive function of the piston‐cylinder geometrical parameters. Specifically, the mass of the piston and the length of the cylinder are found to be the dominant factors controlling the extent of the blast‐wave‐mitigation.

The work demonstrates that, when assessing the blast‐wave‐mitigation potential of the piston‐cylinder concept, it is critical that loading experienced by the piston be defined by explicitly modeling (fluid/structure) interactions between the blast wave(s) and the piston.

In the event of a crash involving a car, its seats, together with their backrests and head supports, ensure the safety of the passengers. The filling material used for such a car seat is normally made of polyurethane foam. To simulate the behaviour of the seat assembly during a crash, the material characteristics of the seat-filling foam should be appropriately modelled. The purpose of this paper is to present a method, with which the proper parameter values of the selected material model for the seat-filling foam can be easily determined.

In the study, an experiment with the specimen from seat-filling foam was carried out. The results from this experiment were the basis for the determination of the parameter values of the low-density-foam material model, which is often used in crash-test simulations. Two different numerical optimisation algorithms – a genetic algorithm and a gradient-descent algorithm – were coupled with LS-DYNA explicit simulations to identify the material parameters.

The paper provides comparison of two optimisation algorithms and discusses the engineering applicability of the results.

This paper presents an approach for the identification of the missing parameter values of the highly non-linear material model, if these cannot be easily determined directly from experimental data.