Geometrical optimization of clinch forming process using the response surface method

The determination of optimum tool shapes in clinch forming process is needed to achieve the required high quality of clinch joints. The design of the tools (punch and die) is crucial since the strength of the clinch joints is closely correlated to the tools geometry. To increase the strength of clinch joints, an automatic optimization procedure is developed. The objective function is defined in terms of the maximum value of the tensile force, obtained by separation of the sheets. Feasibility constraints on the geometrical parameters are also taken into account. First, a Python Script is used to generate the ABAQUS finite element model, to run the computations and post-process results, which are exported in an ASCII file. Then, this ASCII file is read by a FORTRAN program, in which the response surface approximation and SQP algorithm are implemented. The results show the potential interest of the developed optimization procedure towards the improvement of the strength of the clinch forming joints to tensile loading.