A software solution for advanced friction modeling applied to sheet metal forming

In this paper, a software solution is presented for advanced friction modeling in metal forming processes, using a physically-based friction model. As input, the model requires the properties of the metal-lubricant combination used and the surface characteristics of the tooling and sheet material. As output, the friction coefficient is provided in both the boundary and mixed lubrication regime. This includes the effect of surface changes due to normal loading, sliding and straining the underlying bulk material. Adhesion and ploughing effects are accounted for to characterize friction conditions on the micro scale. To account for lubrication, hydrodynamic contact elements have been developed and integrated in the software. Pressure degrees of freedom are introduced to capture the pressure values which are computed by a finite element discretization of the 2D averaged Reynolds equation. The boundary friction model and the hydrodynamic friction model have been coupled to cover the mixed lubrication regime. The software solution, provided by Innprove Solutions, is coupled to commercial finite element packages enabling advanced friction modeling for sheet metal forming.