Flow forming

Introducing a breakthrough in the field of manufacturing technology: our innovative research on Incremental Cold Flow Forming (ICFF). This project was supported by EPSRC (EP/T008415/1) This cutting-edge approach revolutionizes the production of axisymmetric components, enhancing geometrical accuracy and material properties beyond traditional methods. High-quality, rotationally-symmetric, hollow engineering components are widely utilised by the aerospace, automotive and oil and gas sectors. This research tackles the complex challenges inherent in ICFF, such as extreme plastic deformations, roller contact, and heat dissipation, which have historically hindered effective simulation and industry adoption (Lewandowski et al., 2023).

Key highlights of our research include:

Development of a Massively Parallel Multifield Plasticity Approach: We have engineered a novel method that diverges from classical techniques. This approach uniquely approximates measures of plastic deformation using finite element basis functions in L2 space, enabling more robust and accurate simulations.

Innovative Solution Techniques: The research employs a global system level solution with a monolithic Newton-Raphson scheme, striking a balance between complexity and flexibility. This allows for seamless integration with other physical phenomena.

Efficient Utilization of Block-Structured Tangent Stiffness Matrix: Our method capitalizes on the block-structure of the tangent stiffness matrix, utilizing scalable block preconditioners for enhanced efficiency.

Integration of Additive Kinematic Approach: Adopting the approach proposed by Miehe et. al. (2002) for finite strain plasticity, our research enables the use of classical constitutive models within a small-strain framework. This is achieved through the introduction of a logarithmic strain measure.

Pioneering in Computational Plasticity: This new approach for plasticity opens entirely new possibilities, akin to the ‘holy grail’ of computational plasticity: the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) formulation. In this formulation, the evolution of plastic internal variables is not associated with the mesh, offering unprecedented flexibility and accuracy in simulations.

Validation through Benchmark Studies: The performance and effectiveness of our implementation are rigorously tested through classical benchmark studies and extensive large-scale simulations of ICFF processes using HPC.

This research marks a significant leap in manufacturing technology, promising to unlock the full potential of ICFF and open new horizons in precision manufacturing.