Numerical Analysis of Tools for Hot Forming of Sheet Metal with Consideration of Mechanical and Thermal Process Loads for Structural Optimisation

An accurate understanding of the loads on the active parts of highly loaded forming tools is crucial for the robust design and subsequent optimisation of the tools. This publication presents a numerical simulation-based methodology for reliably predicting the load and structural behaviour of hot forming tools, addressing the challenge of process-related mechanical-thermal loads.

In this approach, the first step is to determine the mechanical and thermal loads acting on the active tool parts during the forming process by means of process simulations. Subsequently, the effects of these mechanical and thermal process loads on the deformations and stress distributions in the forming tool are investigated by means of a coupled thermomechanical simulation. The simulation results are validated using real tests. The developed methodology based on the numerical approach shows good agreement with the results of the real experiments and can be used for topology optimisation and design of the cooling system.