Three-dimensional bulk metal forming simulations under a PC cluster environment

Abstract

The design of bulk forming parts can greatly benefit from three-dimensional finite element (FE) analyses. However, three-dimensional simulations of bulk forming processes involve large computation time and memory. Advances of personal computer (PC) technology have made it feasible to use PCs for three-dimensional simulations recently. In particular, PC clusters, a group of PCs connected by local area network (LAN) for communication, have been introduced as a cheaper alternative to parallel supercomputers. The current study is an investigation of bulk metal forming analysis in a PC cluster environment. For effective use of the PC cluster, two parallel processing algorithms were investigated. At first, columns of the global stiffness matrix were distributed amongst processors and secondly physical domain of the problem was divided into sub-domains. Since the relative performance of these two approaches usually depends on the type of the problem, a pre-simulation tool that can suggest the parallel solving approach and number of processors that will lead to least computing time for a given bulk forming problem was developed based on upsetting simulations. The effectiveness of the pre-simulation tool was examined through simulation of swash plate forging. Considering the economical benefit of PC clusters, the result of current investigation should lead to the increase of three-dimensional FE simulations in the design of bulk forming processes in forming industry.