Title: Automated mesh generation for finite element analysis of sheet metal forming
Authors: K. Shimada, N. Mori, T. Kondo, T. Itoh, K. Kase, A. Makinouchi
Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. ' Amada Metrecs Co., 806 Takamori, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-11, Japan. ' Amada Metrecs Co., 806 Takamori, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-11, Japan. ' IBM Research, Tokyo Research Laboratory, 1623-14 Shimotsuruma, Yamato, Kanagawa 242, Japan. ' RIKEN Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-01, Japan. ' RIKEN Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-01, Japan
Abstract: This paper presents a fully automated meshing scheme suitable for sheet forming simulation. We adopt a new meshing procedure, called ||bubble meshing||, to create a graded quadrilateral mesh. In this method, a set of nodes is first distributed by closely packing spheres, or ||bubbles||, in a domain, adjusting the sphere sizes by the three indicators of strain gradient, curvature and contact condition. A well-shaped triangular mesh is then created by connecting the centres of these bubbles or nodes. Finally, the triangular mesh is preserved. It is shown that the method satisfies fundamental meshing requirements for sheet metal forming simulation, such as precise element size control and mesh adaptivity.
Keywords: Delaunay triangulation; FEM; finite element method; mesh generation; parametric surfaces; sheet metal forming; simulation; FEA; finite element analysis.
International Journal of Vehicle Design, 1999 Vol.21 No.2/3, pp.278 - 291
Published online: 20 Oct 2004 *
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