Non-linear dimensional variation analysis for sheet metal assemblies by contact modeling

The dimensional quality of product assembly is one of the most concerned issues in modern product design and manufacturing. During the assembly process, contact between rigid or non-rigid parts and/or fixtures is inevitable. The contact phenomenon of non-rigid parts, however, received little attention as compared with that of the rigid parts. We present in this paper the study of the contact problem of the non-rigid sheet metal assemblies. A systematic procedure of the non-linear dimensional variation analysis for the sheet metal assemblies is developed by using the contact finite element method and considering the friction force between the assembly surfaces. The proposed approach is validated in a case study of two sheet metal parts assembly via physical experiments. The simulation results agree well with the results obtained from physical experiments. This work provides a systematical and high-precision approach for dimensional variation analysis for non-rigid assemblies by contact modeling.