Tool Design Optimization Research Articles

Process and tool design optimization for hypoid gears with the help of the manufacturing simulation BevelCut

Catastrophic tool wear, active clearance sides of the tool and resulting fins at the tooth’s root are among the undesirable phenomena that can occur when cutting bevel gears. So far, these obstacles to manufacturing could not be predicted during the design phase. This paper presents an approach to identify critical process and tool designs using the manufacturing simulation BevelCut. Based on the simulation results, the occurrence of cutting phenomena is correlated to the characteristic values and corrective measures are deduced. Finally, the effectiveness of the corrective measures is assessed by comparing the characteristic values of the original and optimized design

Review of Discrete Element Method Simulations of Soil Tillage and Furrow Opening

In agricultural machinery design and optimization, the discrete element method (DEM) has played a major role due to its ability to speed up the design and manufacturing process by reducing multiple prototyping, testing, and evaluation under experimental conditions. In the field of soil dynamics, DEM has been mainly applied in the design and optimization of soil-engaging tools, especially tillage tools and furrow openers. This numerical method is able to capture the dynamic and bulk behaviour of soils and soil–tool interactions. This review focused on the various aspects of the application of DEM in the simulation of tillage and furrow opening for tool design optimization. Different contact models, particle sizes and shapes, and calibration techniques for determining input parameters for tillage and furrow opening research have been reviewed. Discrete element method predictions of furrow profiles, disturbed soil surface profiles, soil failure, loosening, disturbance parameters, reaction forces, and the various types of soils modelled with DEM have also been highlighted. This pool of information consolidates existing working approaches used in prior studies and helps to identify knowledge gaps which, if addressed, will advance the current soil dynamics modelling capability.

Adaptive metamodel-based analytical target cascading for natural gas hydrates coring tool design optimization

Design optimization and performance analysis of natural gas hydrates (NGH) coring tool is a complex engineering system that involves several disciplines, such as structural, hydraulics, thermology and mechanism kinematics. An adaptive metamodel-based analytical target cascading (A-ATC) method is developed to efficiently deal with the NGH coring tool design problem. The NGH coring tool design problem is decomposed into three subsystems through the proposed A-ATC approach; namely, the core tube subsystem, ball valve mechanics subsystem and hydraulic subsystem. Moreover, a parameterized lower confidence bounding (PLCB) scheme-based adaptive metamodel is introduced into A-ATC to replace the analysis module to alleviate the intensive computational burden. Optimization results of the NGH tool are compared with those of kriging-based ATC. The effectiveness of PLCB is investigated through comparisons with other commonly used infill strategies. The results show that the proposed PLCB-based A-ATC method is more appropriate for the NGH coring tool design optimization problem.

Quantitative Analysis of Guided Wave in Dielectric Logging Through Numerical Simulation

A good knowledge of the electromagnetic (EM) wave propagation behaviors in dielectric logging (DL) and borehole radar (BHR) surveying is critically important for the optimization of tool design and implementation, and interpretation of the acquired logging data, as well as understanding the influences of the dielectric permittivity and conductivity of the formation on the EM waves. This letter reported a novel method for the numerical simulation and analysis of the guided wave (GW) propagating along a metallic pipe in a typical DL configuration. A numerical simulation with the 3-D finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method was applied to the broadband DL tool to obtain the wavefield and responses of the receiver. By monitoring the wave attenuation along the metallic drill collar, the intensity of the GW and loss factor can be determined. The coupling efficiency of the GW can be obtained when the total power emitted from the transmitting antenna is known. Simulation results revealed that the coupling efficiency of the GW changes with the water saturation of the formation and frequency. The simulation also suggest, by installing a slope structure adjacent to the transmitting antenna, the energy coupled into the GW could be reduced at different levels. Finally, the relationship between the received signals' amplitude and GW's coupling efficiency showed the quantified contribution of the GW to the received signal.

고경도 소재 가공을 위한 다이아몬드 전착 드릴의 형상 최적화에 관한 연구

Recently, there has been an increase in the demand for the machining of high-hardness materials using diamond electro-deposition tools. However, a systematic analysis of these tools in terms of machinability has not been performed yet. In this study, a tool design optimization is performed to improve the machinability of diamond electro-deposition drills in drilling SiC ceramic materials. Each drill is analyzed using FEM analysis and the results are compared with the corresponding experimental results. Additionally, the particle drop rate and surface roughness of the machined surface are analyzed for each drill. Consequently, we discover that the most important aspect in drilling using a diamond electro-deposition drill is the proper discharge of the machined chip. Furthermore, we determine the optimal drill shape for the improvement of machinability.

A novel tool design procedure for arc sweep machining technology

ABSTRACTElectric arc sweep machining is a thermal process derived from blasting erosion arc machining specialized for high efficient open channel machining. In this technology, high pressure inner flushing undertakes a critical role in plasma arc control and evacuating debris from craters. Hence, to find the best tool design procedure, contour of effective fluid velocity distribution in the gap distance is simulated for different flushing hole patterns and then, experiment conducted to measure machining performance. Empirical findings demonstrated higher material removal rate relative to bigger effective flushing region. Based on this, principle of tool design optimization is introduced when d = 3 mm is the best flushing hole diameter arranged along the centerline and holes with d = 2 mm are located symmetrically adjacent to the centerline.

Investigation of a new sheet metal shear cutting tool design to increase the part quality by superposed compression stress

Nowadays, a major criterion for the quality of shear cut workpieces is characterised by a smooth final cutting surface. Normally, this surface only can be manufactured by using fine cutting or trimming technology. Major disadvantage of these processes is the complex tooling design caused by a double-acting press and corresponding tool layout. Content of this study is to investigate the impact of a new sheet metal cutting tool design, also called concave nosed punch design, to increase the clean-cut portion in conventional shear cutting. The investigation focuses on sheet metal materials DP600, DC03 and HC420LA with a thickness of 1mm. Using FEA-Software DEFORM 2D, the models of conventional cutting and cutting with new tool design were mapped by comparing cutting surface results and stress distribution in the shearing zone. The main criterion of the optimization of tool design focuses on an enlarged clean-cut area along the cutting surface compared to conventional shear cutting. New tool design shows in numerical investigation a significant increase of clear-cut surface up to 73% compared to conventional cutting surfaces disclosing 35% when using tools according to standard design rules. With the result of the punch optimization in the numerical investigation, two cutting punches with different web widths were manufactured and experimentally investigated. The focus of the experimental investigation was the comparison of the cutting characteristics of smooth cut portion and cutting burr. The influence of the cutting clearance between 5% and 15% on the clean cut portion and the burr was investigated. Metallurgical micrographs show a significant increase in the percentage of smooth cut portion when punching with the new cutting method presented here. For DC03, these concave nose punch design was able to achieve smooth cut percentages of up to 95%. However, using this new punch design, it is possible to sheet metal materials revealing a noticeably performed shearing surface quality.

Experimental approach to measure the restraining force in deep drawing by means of a versatile draw bead simulator

ABSTRACTThe extreme personalization of the sports car industry requires the development of reliable and affordable techniques for the in-house set-up and control of processing conditions in deep drawing of body-in-white parts. In order to cope with this urgent need, a handy draw bead simulator (DBS) is proposed to measure the restraining force exerted on a sheet metal by the draw bead during deep drawing. The apparatus can be integrated into a common tensile testing machine and the male-female parts of the DBS are variable to account for different geometries of the draw bead and for different thicknesses of the sheet metal. For validation, the DBS is operated to reproduce the effect of a draw bead working on an Al6014-T4 strip according to assigned industrial conditions. Tensile tests repeated on the metal strip after drawing open the way to quantify work hardening effects. The new DBS can be applied to measure the restraining force and investigate the specific role of the draw bead in deep drawing, but it may also be used to verify the predictivity of computational models, thus supporting the development of simulations for feasibility studies and tool design optimization.

Flexible Hot Rolling of Extruded Shapes of Aluminum Alloy EN AW-6082

One of the strategies employed to lower weight and to decrease material consumption is reducing part thickness itself. Thus, functionally graded materials in which structural reinforcement is adjusted locally, are of great interest. With regard to conventional industrial processes, such as extrusion or flexible cold rolling, thickness variations can only be achieved either longitudinally or through the cross-section of the semi-finished products. Hence, a combined thickness variation (along both axes) is difficult to generate solely by extrusion or rolling. A simultaneous thickness variation in both directions, however, would enable further weight savings in structural components such as car body parts. In this study, a promising approach with extruded shapes, serving as a billet for a flexible hot rolling process, is elaborated upon. By employing the described process modification, shapes with simultaneous thickness variations in longitudinal as well as in transverse direction are feasible. Initial numerical analysis reveals the weight-saving potential of using these semi-finished products for structural parts in a car body. A demonstration of the production process for the semi-finished parts and the occurring challenges are discussed. To verify and adjust the new technology, a numerical model of the flexible hot rolling process has been created based on the finite element software QForm VX. This model is also employed for tool design optimization to produce semi-finished components with the required geometrical quality. Finally, the results of hot rolling experiments conducted using the adjusted roll design are presented.

In-situ temperature measurement in friction stir welding of thick section aluminium alloys

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a reliable joining technology with a wide industrial uptake. However, several fundamentals of the process such as the temperature inside the stirred zone of the weld and its influence on mechanical properties, are not yet fully understood. This paper shows a method for accurate temperature measurements in multiple locations around the tool, to identify the location of the peak temperature, the temperature variations between the advancing and the retreating side of the tool and its relation to the tool geometry. Both standardised thermocouples in the FSW tool and the novel “tool-workpiece thermocouple” method were used to record temperatures.Bead-on-plate welds in 20 mm thickness AA6082-T6 were produced while the temperatures were measured in three locations on the FSW tool: at the shoulder outer diameter, at the transition from shoulder to probe and at the probe tip. It was found that the hottest point in the stirred zone was 607 °C and was located at the transition between the shoulder and probe, on the retreating-trailing side of the tool. The lowest temperature was found at the probe tip on the retreating-leading side of the tool.The results offer a better understanding of the temperature distribution around a FSW tool. The method presented can be applied to verification of thermal simulation models, tool design optimization, quality assurance and temperature feedback control.

Gender considerations in optimizing usability design of hand-tool by testing hand stress using sEMG signal analysis

To design comfortable and efficienthand tools, an objective measurement such as using surface electromyography (sEMG) is required, where the ergonomic design tries to find the most optimal and most fit design of hand-tool that doesn't cause stress on the hand muscles. The hand tool design optimization will be demonstrated in this study on designing shampoo bottles, where the design of bottle and its compatibility with the slippery watery area, in addition to the aesthetic considerations are important issues that must be taking by the manufacturers concerned with such industries. Six different designs of shampoo bottles, as outcomes of industrial design graduation project in the department of Industrial design at our university, were used in this study. The new designs, together with other traditionally bottle designs, were evaluated in simulated shampoo pouring task in the laboratory. Several important parameters extracted from the sEMG signal in both temporal domain and frequency domain provide useful information about the tested designs. Twenty healthy university students (10 males and 10 females; mean age of 21 ± 2 years) were included in this study. Each subject was asked to handle the bottle and simulate the shampoo pouring activity in gentle and delicate manner using the grasp pattern that is found most comfort for him/her. Muscular behavior during bottle holding and shampoo pouring tasks show that male and female have different preferences in dealing with different bottle design, where male have less hand stress with designs that achieve the best fit of their full hand, while female have less hand stress with designs that achieve the best fit of their fingertips, and therefore, the end-user gender must be considered in designs of such industries.

Numerical investigation of a new sheet metal shear cutting tool design to increase the part quality by superposed compression stress

Nowadays, a major criterion for the quality of shear cut workpieces is characterised by a smooth final cutting surface. Normally, this surface only can be manufactured by using fine cutting or trimming technology. Major disadvantage of these processes is the complex tooling design caused by a double-acting press and corresponding tool layout. Content of this numerical study is to investigate the impact of a new sheet metal cutting tool design to increase the clean-cut portion in conventional shear cutting of high strength steel (DP600). Using FEA-Software DEFORM 2D, the models of fine cutting, conventional cutting and cutting with new tool design were mapped by comparing cutting surface results and stress distribution in the shearing zone. The main criterion of the optimization of tool design focuses on an enlarged clean-cut area along the cutting surface compared to conventional shear cutting. This study is based on the design of experiments (DOE) using Latin-Hypercube-Variation of the factors cutting clearance, die radius, punch radius, punch velocity, part holder force and special geometry designs to identify and to optimise new tool geometry. New tool design shows a significant increase of clear-cut surface up to 73% compared to conventional cutting surfaces disclosing 35% when using tools according to standard design rules. Using this new punch design, it is possible to shear high strength steels revealing a noticeably performed shearing surface quality.

On the friction stir welding, tool design optimization, and strain rate-dependent mechanical properties of HDPE–ceramic composite joints

Friction stir welding is a recently developed technique for joining low-melting metals and polymers. In the present work, friction stir welded joints of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) sheets were produced using a newly designed tool with a concave shoulder and a grooved conical pin. The joints were produced with and without the additions of ceramic particulates including silicon carbide (SiC), alumina, graphite, and silica. The effect of strain rate on the tensile properties of base material and plain welded joints was examined. In addition to tensile properties of composite joints, hardness profiles across the weld nugget were analyzed. It was observed that the increasing strain rate improved both the tensile strength and the ductility of the plain welded joints. The tool was able to yield a joint efficiency of around 84% in the plain welded samples. Although, in terms of joint efficiency, the composite joints were less efficient than the plain welded HDPE, SiC additions were found to yield better material properties relative to other reinforcements. Finally, it was concluded that an SiC–HDPE composite joint can be of practical importance in high strain rate applications, provided the optimum tool design and stir welding parameters are available.

Characterization of PCB routing process and optimization of tool design based on the investigation of routing temperature

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide the method and system to conduct online measurement and the characterization of temperature during printed circuit board (PCB) routing process as well as the optimization of router design based on the investigation of routing temperature. Design/methodology/approach – The background of this research is introduced first. Then the method to measure the routing temperature on-line by using an infrared camera is presented. The routing process is characterized by investigating the routing temperature. Tool design optimization is conducted based on the temperature in processing PCB with aluminum substrate. Finally the concluding remarks of this research are presented. Findings – The routing temperature can be accurately measured by an infrared camera. Routing temperature is sensitive to properties of PCB, types of router and routing parameters. Very high temperature is experienced if non-appropriate routers are used to process board with aluminum substrate. It is demonstrated by the experiments that two fluted tool, three fluted tool and coated tool with three flutes are suitable for aluminum substrate processing by considering the low temperature and the nice surface finish. Originality/value – The paper highlights the key points to measure the routing temperature on-line by an infrared camera and characterize the routing process and optimize the tool design by investigating the measured temperature as well.

Application of large deflection analysis for tool design optimization in an electrochemical curved hole machining method

Abstract This paper describes the optimization of the tool design and structure in an electrochemical curved hole machining method. Curved holes can be machined using a flexible tool which can be curved by the hole being processed by the tool itself. The curvature of the hole can be determined by the tilt angle of the electrode tip attached to the end of the tool. The tool design was optimized by a numerical analysis of the electrostatic field and a large deflection to reduce the radius of curvature and to improve machining efficiency. Machining tests showed that the curved hole shape is controlled by the detailed electrode shape and the feed rate of the electrode. The calculated curved hole shape agreed with the form of the holes machined experimentally.

Optimization of Tool Design in Electrochemical Curved Holes Machining Method by Electrostatic Field Analysis

This paper describes a design optimization of tool structure in the electrochemical curved holes machining method. Curved holes can be machined using a flexible tool which can be curved by the hole being processed by the tool itself. The curvature of the hole can be determined by the tilt angle of the electrode tip attached to the end of the tool. The tool design was optimized by a numerical analysis of the electrostatic field in the working gap to simplify the tool structure and to obtain a machining stability. The tool newly developed has a simple structure composed of a flexible tube and columnar electrode tip. Machining tests showed that short circuiting can be avoided and that the calculated removal volume distribution agreed with the form of holes obtained from the experiment.

Tool design optimization in extrusion processes

Tool design optimization in steady-state extrusion processes, based on the finite element discretization and non-linear mathematical programming techniques, is considered in this paper. In order to perform the optimization the die geometry is adequately parameterized, according to the polynomial representation. By imposing real technological and geometry constraints the optimal tool design is effected by extremizing the actual optimization objectives. In particular, the minimization of the forming energy consumption and the maximization of the possible area reduction are considered. The results, obtained numerically by assuming the Lagrange incremental elastic–plastic finite element formulation in modelling the material flow and the considered optimization approach, are compared to the known theoretical solutions, in cases where such solutions are available. It is demonstrated that the discussed approach is quite effective.