EXPERIMENTAL-VERIFICATION OF SUPERPLASTIC SHEET-METAL FORMING ANALYSIS BY THE FINITE-ELEMENT METHOD

Abstract

The numerical result for superplastic sheet-forming simulation is compared with the experimental result to verify the validity of the finite-element code developed. The code calculates the optimum pressure cycle, the deformed shapes, and the distributions of the strain and strain-rate in the blow-forming processes. The calculation deals with the maximization of the strain-rate sensitivity, the protection of the localized deformation, the consistency of the desired strain-rate, and the control of the hour-glass mode and locking phenomenon. The comparison demonstrates the validity of the present algorithm and its results, especially in respect of the optimum pressure cycle, where there is only a slight difference between the two results.