APPLICATION OF COMPUTER-AIDED SIMULATION TO INVESTIGATE METAL FLOW IN SELECTED FORGING OPERATIONS

The application of computer aided engineering (CAE) techniques continues to increase in metal forming research and development. The two dimensional computer code DEFORM is now extensively used in forging applications for the investigation of die fill, defect analysis and prevention, as well as prediction of part properties. The three dimensional version of DEFORM has recently been released. At the Engineering Research Center for Net Shape Manufacturing (ERC/NSM), DEFORM is one of the available computer aided tools used in cold-, warm- and hot-forging research and for educational purposes. This paper summarizes the results of industrially relevant ''work-in-progress'' research with the DEFORM and DEFORM-3D FEM systems. Current projects include: a new tool design for cross groove inner race for a constant velocity joint, the flashless forging of an aluminum connecting rod, design of cold forgings and forming sequences, die wear in warm forging extrusion, and examples of DEFORM-3D simulations of a connecting rod, blade coining, and wire drawing of shapes.