Development and statistical evaluation of manufacturing-oriented bead patterns

There is an increasing interest of combining multiple software disciplines using in different engineering design stages in order to reduce product development cycles. In this paper a new function is presented to design manufacturing-oriented FEM-based bead cross-sections. This function is implemented in the commercial optimization tool TOSCA Structure.bead. A simple round plate is used for the algorithm verification. This function allows an improved controlling functionality to consider manufacturing aspects when designing sheet metal with beads. In this context, Optimus as process optimization tool is used to build up an automated multi-disciplinary simulation chain performing a Design of Experiments (DoEs) which involves a bead generation for sheet metal stiffening and a one-step inverse forming simulation for formability verification. A first application is shown with an oil pan geometry as real-world example. The main conclusion is that larger bead widths improve the manufacturability, but leads to less optimal designs regarding stiffness.

► We developed a function to model a wider range of FE-based bead cross-section types.
► Improper selection of bead cross-section parameters actives a correction process.
► A significant bead cross-section correction leads to worse forming results.
► Process optimization including a bead generation process and a forming simulation.
► Large bead widths confirm better manufacturability.