Improved simulation of thin-sheet metalforming using LS-DyNA3D on parallel computers

Abstract

Finite-element programs based on explicit time integration have proven to be currently among the most versatile instruments for the simulation of thin-sheet metalforming. This advantage is particularly evident if finite-element meshes with large numbers of unknowns and contact surfaces are used. Recent developments of the explicit program LS-DYNA3D have been concerned with contact search and contact treatment, focusing on the accuracy and efficiency of these algorithms. The introduction of general CAD surfaces for the surface description of rigid tools has improved the modeling capabilities and the results considerably compared to the faceted representation of contact surfaces, which is the standard in current FE technology. The latter algorithms are parallelized for shared memory and MIMD computers, resulting in a large overall increase in speed for the analysis. The present contribution presents an overview over the algorithms developed and of the most recent enchancements of LS-DYNA3D for sheet metalforming concerning materials and new shell elements. The efficiency of the parallel algorithms is demonstrated with some numerical and practical examples.