Numerical simulation of plug-assisted thermoforming: application to polystyrene

In the present work, the thickness distribution in a plug-assisted thermoforming process is investigated using finite element (FE) simulations. Numerical simulations have been performed with the FE code ABAQUS/Explicit. The contact between sheet and tools is considered as isothermal. Moreover, the coefficient of friction between plug and sheet is assumed constant. The behavior of the material is described by three hyperelastic laws available in the FE code. The comparison between experimental and FE results highlights that the neglected thermal effects (conduction and convection) and the thermal dependence of coefficient of friction should be considered. For future work, we propose an elasto-viscoplastic model which appears to better describe the behavior of the material than a hyperelastic model.