A deformation based blank design method for formed parts

Blank design is an important task in sheet metal forming process optimization. The initial blank shape has direct effect on the part quality. This paper presents a deformation based blank design approach to determine the initial blank shape for a formed part. The blank design approach is integrated separately into ABAQUS, and DD3IMP, a research purpose in-house FEA code, to demonstrate its compatibility with any FEA code. The algorithm uses FE results to optimize the blank shape for a part. Deep drawing simulation of a rectangular cup geometry was carried out with an initial blank shape determined empirically. The blank shape was iteratively modified, based on the deformation history, until an optimal blank shape for the part is achieved. The optimal blank shapes predicted by the algorithm using both FEA softwares were similar. Marginal differences in the shape error indicate that the deformation history based push/pull technique can effectively determine an optimal blank shape for a part with any FEA software. For the shape error selected, both procedures estimate the optimal blank shape for the part within five iterations.