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.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.1999.005580

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 1999 Vol.21 No.2/3, pp.278 - 291

Published online: 20 Oct 2004 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article