• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.58-68
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• 1994

An equilibrium approach is suggested as an effective tool for the analysis of sheet metal forming processes on the basis of force balance together with geometric relations and plasticity theroy. In computing a force balance equation, it is required to define a geometric curve approximating the shape of the sheet metal at any step of deformation from the geometric interaction between the die and the deforming sheet. Then the geometic informations for contacting and non-contacting sections of the sheet metal such as the number and length of both non-contact region, contact angle, and die radius of contact section are known from the geometric forming curve and utilized for optimization by force balance equation. In computation, the sheet material is assumed to be of normal amisotropy and rigid-phastic workhardening. It has been shown that there are good agreements between the equilibrium approach and FEM computation for the benchmark test example and auto-body panels whose sections can be assumed in plane-strain state. The proposed equilibrium approach can thus be used as a robust computational method in estimating the forming defects and forming severity rather quickly in the die design stage.