The determination of initial blank shape by using the one-step finite element method and experimental verification

Many process parameters have an effect on the sheet metal forming process. A well-designed blank shape causes the material to flow smoothly, reduces the punch force, and yields a product with a uniform thickness distribution. Therefore, the determination of an initial blank shape plays the important role of saving time and cost in the sheet metal forming process. For these reasons, some approaches to estimate the initial blank shape have been implemented.

In this paper, the one-step approach using a finite element inverse method will be introduced to predict the initial blank shape. The developed program is applied to several sheet metal forming examples for the demonstration of its validity. Moreover, the usefulness of the developed one-step approach program is investigated as compared with the FAST-3D program, which is a commercial package that is commonly used. Finally, the verification will be performed by comparing the predicted and experimental results.