Process optimal design in non-isothermal, steady-state metal forming by the finite element method

Abstract

A new approach to process optimal design in non-isothermal, steady-state metal forming is presented. In this approach, the optimal design problem is formulated on the basis of the integrated thermo-mechanical finite element process model so as to cover a wide class of the objective functions and to accept diverse process parameters as design variables, and a derivative-based approach is adopted as a solution technique. The process model, the formulation for process optimal design, and the schemes for the evaluation of the design sensitivity, and an iterative procedure for design optimization are described in detail. The validity of the schemes for the evaluation of the design sensitivity is examined by performing a series of numerical tests. The capability of the proposed approach is demonstrated through applications to some selected process design problems. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.