Numerical Stimulation and Optimization of Process Chain in High Pressure Sheet Metal Forming

The high-pressure sheet metal forming of tailor rolled blanks allows the production of optimized components specially developed for their future function, which cannot be made from conventionally rolled sheet metal. The research aims at showing that the two processes, i.e. flexible rolling and high-pressure sheet metal forming, can be well represented in finite element simulations. By linking the finite element models with a combinatory optimization tool it is possible to simulate and optimize the entire process chain and/or the product itself. Within this paper the forming restrictions of the high pressure sheet metal forming of tailor rolled blanks are presented. Furthermore, two optimizations, considering not only the process chain but also the behavior under loading conditions, are shown.