Numerical simulation of piercing using FEA with damage and SPH method

The Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic (SPH) method as implemented in the commercial code LS-DYNA has been used to solve the problem of piercing a hole in a stamped shock absorber seat. The results are compared to those produced by dynamic analysis using conventional finite element methods with material erosion as implemented in LS-DYNA. The SPH method is suitable for modelling of cracking and tearing phenomena occurring in actual production of the spring seat for some material and process parameters. The SPH stress levels need to be closely interpreted in contour plots than for the FEA results though as high stresses remain in the disconnected volumes. A rate dependent plasticity model is used in the simulation with data produced by mechanical tests of the materials used.