Finite Element Simulation of Roll Forming and Ring Rolling
FEA & CFD Based Simulation Design Analysis Virtual prototyping MultiObjective Optimization
Roll forming is a specific process within the metal forming industry. Characteristics of that method are high flexibility, low machine and tooling cost, and very good productivity. But like other metal forming methods, roll forming today is still a kind of “black art.” It is very difficult to understand what happens to the material during the forming process. Difficulties such as faults appearing and problems in setting up new roll sets on the mill are not uncommon. In a trial & error approach, one has to produce a whole roll set and do the machine set-up in order to find potential weaknesses in the roll forming process - a costly and time-consuming approach causing undesired machine downtimes.
Rolling is one of the most diverse forming processe in the forming technology. It is used for the production of semi-finished as well as finished products. Rolling processes are used in all areas of forming technology, both in hot forging and cold forming, and of course in sheet metal forming. There is a multitude of rolling processes. Some are named here: flat rolling, profile rolling, tube rolling, roll forming, forge rolling, cross-wedge rolling, wire rolling, and cross-row rolling.
Ring Rolling
Ring rolling is a forming process for the production of rings. The ring rolling processes enable the production of rings with diameters ranging from ten centimeters to ten meters. Because of very high demands in accuracy and reliability required for production of ring and wheel rolling, efficient simulation is needed for detail investigation and verification in extremely high-performance finite element (FEA) simulation software.
Using advanced Metal Forming Simulation methodology and FEA tools such as Ansys, Simufact Forming, Autoform, FTI Forming, Ls-dyna and Abaqus for any bulk material forming deformation, combining with experience and development have made Enteknograte the most reliable consultant partner for large material deformation simulation.
Phase Transformation and Thermal Effect in Metal Forming
Including phase transformation and thermal effect enables us to realistically simulate the hot forming processes. These processes have become very important for the automotive industry in order to meet specific requirements regarding a higher level of crash safety and a reduction of overall weight. Detailed simulation of forming enable us to engineer components with high strength, challenging geometrical complexity and minimized springback effects. In addition, we can calculate the final part properties, such as strain-stress distributions as well as the distribution and local percentages of different material phases, such as austenite, ferrite, pearlite, bainite and martensite, including the resulting hardness distribution.
Enteknograte Simulation Features:
- Realistic simulation of hot forming and quenching processes
- Take into account phase transformation during quenching and thermal distortion after cooling.
- Stamped parts with challenging geometrical complexity and minimized springback effects
- Stamped parts engineered with targeted local strength properties
- Improved crash simulation accuracy
- Hot forming processes of ultra-high strength steels
Springback Compensation
Springback compensation is carried out during the process engineering phase to improve part and tool quality before the real tryout phase begins. As a result, the process layouts realized during the early planning phases are more reliable. Robust springback compensation enables us to minimize the risk of costly changes later on in the process due to the effects of springback.
Tool Cost Estimation
We can help you to calculate tooling costs based on the defined production sequence. we can evaluate alternative production concepts and then rapidly identify the most cost-effective one. Our knowledge in FEA based design enable you to significantly reduce the time required for estimating tooling costs.
Process Planning
With special engineering methods, software and customizing ability of CAE software environment, enables us to rapidly generate and evaluate process plans. This feature enable us for increased planning reliability to meet quality and cost targets and enables the direct transfer of process plans to process engineering and validation in a short time.
Surface Defects Avoidance
Surface defects are small concave imperfections that can develop during forming on outer convex panels of automotive parts like doors. They occur during springback steps, after drawing in the vicinity of bending over a curved line and flanging/hemming in the vicinity of the upper corner of a door. They can alter significantly the final quality of the automobile and it is of primary importance to deal with them as early as possible in the design of the forming tools. As a result, during the product development process, much attention is paid to avoiding defects on surface appearance and the resulting surface quality. Enteknograte engineering team can evaluate surface defects in order to take steps to improve the surface quality with FEA based Design and optimization.