Finite element analysis of micro-rolling using grain and grain boundary elements

The recent trend towards miniaturization causes an increased demand for parts with very small dimensions. The conceptual miniature rolling process enables the production of such parts with high productivity and accuracy while the dimensions decrease, the grain structure of the working material remains constant. This leads to so-called size effects. As a result, specific characteristics have to be considered for the design of micro-forming processes. This study proposes a new numerical approach to simulate the micro-strip rolling. The new numerical scheme is proposed to simulate intergranular micro-strip rolling process by the finite element method. Grain element and grain boundary element are introduced to simulate the micro-strip rolling. The grain element is used to analyze the deformation of individual grain while the grain boundary element is for the investigation on the movement of the grain boundary such as compression and shearing. The new approach is possible to design the process parameters which satisfy the desired micro-forming.