Improving dimensional accuracy of a u-shaped part through an orthogonal design experiment

The central concern in forming u-shaped parts is the effect of springback on the geometrics. Variable blankholder force reduces springback. But, there is no method for determining blankholder force trajectory. Proposed here is an optimization design for variable blankholder force. It combines orthogonal experiment design with FEM software. The method was validated numerically using FEM to simulate the benchmark of 2D draw bending problem in the 2nd International Conference and Workshop on Numerical Simulation of 3D Sheet Forming Processes. Cracking was eliminated and dimensional accuracy was improved to yield a higher forming quality. Simulation cycles were also minimized. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.