Extraction of tool reaction forces using LS-DYNA and its use in Autoform sheet metal forming simulation

Abstract: In product development there is still potential to decrease lead times with faster and more accurate simulations. The objective of this thesis was to study whether Finite Element (FE) simulations using explicit LS-DYNA to extract reaction forces from sheet metal forming tools during forming, could be used to improve existing FE models in sheet metal forming software AutoForm.To begin with, the solid CAD-model of the stamping dies were meshed with tetrahedral elements in CATIA and imported into LS-DYNA. In combination with sheet mesh and milling surface meshes from AutoForm, an explicit model was realized. Contacts between sheet mesh and milling surface meshes used the so-called sheet forming contact. The resulting reaction forces were extracted and used in a simulation using the AutoForm software. Resulting simulation was compared to a scan of the physical sheet metal after forming.The direct transfer of reaction forces from LS-DYNA to AutoForm did however not result in the same pressure distribution in AutoForm. The AutoForm simulations using results from LS-DYNA were slightly worse than standard AutoForm simulations.Further work is needed to try and perhaps implement an implicit solution after an initial explicit solution.