Simulation of the forming and assembling process of sheet metal assembly

Paper in proceeding, 2011

A sheet metal assembly must meet functional, manufacturing, and sometimes also esthetical requirements. The properties of the assembly are to a large extent affected by the manufacturing process, i.e. the forming processes of the sheet metal components and the subsequent assembling sub-processes. It is of a great industrial interest to be able to predict the properties of the assembly at an early design stage. This paper presents a methodology, based on Finite Element simulations, which makes it possible to accurately predict the properties of a sheet metal assembly. Each forming process of the individual components is simulated, and all properties affected by the forming process are included in the subsequent simulations of the assembling process. Thus, this methodology makes it possible to optimize both the functional properties of the assembly and also its manufacturing process considering all mechanical effects introduced by the individual manufacturing processes. A case study of a semi-industrial assembly has been conducted and the simulation results agree well to experimental data.