Pressure contours on forming dies: Part II: Finite element simulation

The assessment of the pressure contour on the die-cavity was conducted using physical modelling techniques; regardless, FE simulation was performed with a view to compare the two approaches. Two particular pressure contours were of interest in the programme of research; the first was that which prevailed at the end of the forming operation and the second was that which present when the punch pressure had been removed. These pressures were evaluated for a number of industrial components which had been provided to validate the proposed technique. The simulation required development of software which enabled the extraction of relevant data from the FE databases created during the simulation for comparison with the results from physical modelling experiments. The comparison indicated that the pressure contours were of sufficient accuracy for use in the analysis of die-elasticity: further refinements would be necessary to match the contours which were derived using physical modelling.