An integrated continuous–discontinuous approach towards damage engineering in sheet metal forming processes

This paper addresses the simulation of ductile damage and fracture in metal forming processes. A combined continuous–discontinuous approach has been used, which accounts for the interaction between macroscopic cracks and the surrounding softening material. Softening originates from the degradation processes taking place at a microscopic level, and is modelled using continuum damage mechanics concepts. To avoid pathological localisation and mesh dependence and to incorporate length scale effects due to microstructure evolution, the damage growth is driven by a non-local variable via a second order partial differential equation. The two governing equations, i.e. equilibrium and non-local averaging, are solved in an operator-split manner. This allows one to use a commercial finite element software to solve the equilibrium problem, including contact between the tools and work piece. The non-local averaging equation is solved on a fixed configuration, through a special purpose code which interacts with the commercial code. A remeshing strategy has been devised that allows: (i) to capture the localisation zone, (ii) prevent large element distortions and (iii) accommodate the crack propagation. To illustrate the capabilities of the modelling tool obtained by combining these continuum mechanics concepts and computational techniques, process simulations of blanking, fine-blanking and score forming are presented.