Structural Design of an Auto Panel Die Component Based on the Contact Pressure Using Topology Optimization

Abstract

The main motivation in stamping die industry and academia is panel quality and formability issues rather than the weight and cost of the die. A product should be designed according to the loads that it can be faced in service condition. But somehow this rule is not valid for stamping die design since the minimum distance between the ribs is based on the standards and location and pattern of the ribs which are depending primarily on the company experience. In this work, an auto panel drawing die design is investigated numerically whether it is overdesigned or not. The loads on the die surfaces are calculated by numerical methods. When a panel is drawn between upper and lower die, the contact pressure (CP) occurs on the interface surfaces due to this interaction. Since CP is a vital parameter and it is almost impossible to measure it by experimental methods, it is validated by two different numerical codes. The CP values obtained from Autoform® quasi-static solution are compared with Abaqus® transient forming analysis solution. Topology optimization is applied on the lower die by using the estimated CP loads. Von-Mises stress, elastic deformation and volume are compared between current and optimized die geometry. Panel thickness variation is also investigated in longitudinal and transverse directions.