Design optimization of variable blank holder force trajectory and slide velocity in sheet metal forming

Abstract

In sheet forming, the blank holder force (BHF) has a direct influence on product quality. A high BHF leads to tearing, whereas a low one results in wrinkling. For successful sheet forming, the BHF should be adjusted. Recently, the variable BHF (VBHF) that the BHF varies through stroke is recognized as one of the advanced sheet forming technologies. On the other hand, slide velocity (SV) that controls the die velocity is rarely discussed in the literature, and the SV should also be taken into account for the successful sheet forming. A high SV can achieve the high productivity, but wrinkling occurs. The VBHF trajectory and SV are unknown in advance, and the trial and error method is widely used. In this paper, design optimization approach using computational intelligence is adopted to determine them for achieving the high productivity. The processing time is taken as the objective function to be minimized for the high productivity. Numerical simulation in sheet forming is so intensive that a sequential approximate optimization using radial basis function network is adopted to determine the optimal solution. Based on the numerical result, the experiment using AC servo press (H1F200-2, Komatsu Industries Corp.) is carried out. Through the numerical and experimental result, the validity of proposed approach is examined.

Keywords

• aluminum sheet forming
• deep drawing
• plastic working
• engineering optimization
• variable blank holder force trajectory
• slide velocity