Simulation in der umFormteCHniK Modeling of Machine and Tool Elasticity in Coupled Forging Simulation

This paper presents an approach for a holistic simulation of forging processes considering the interactions between forging press, tooling system and forging process. It can be used in coupled simulations and will enable industrial users in forging industry to do simulation-aided tool optimizations in the design stage of newly developed forging dies. The final aim is to reduce the time-consuming experimental optimization process of these dies on the production machine which nowadays leads to high overall costs. In forging simulations today the simulated workpiece dimensions significantly deviate from the real forged workpiece geometry. These deviations are the consequence of relative displacements between the upper and the lower die which occur in the forging press and tooling system due to process loads. Customary forging simulation systems do not, however, offer adequate ways of modeling these interactions, especially in the case of multi-stage processes. In order to take the machine-tool-process interactions into account a method was developed and implemented in a software tool that allows the coupling of forging simulation systems with external simulation models of the forging press and tooling system. The parameterization of the external models can be done by results from measurements or simulation. The method makes it possible to investigate the development of forging errors caused by the elasticity of press and tooling system for singleand multi-stage processes. This allows simulation-aided optimization of new forging dies as well as the individual adaptation to a particular production press prior to first forging tests.