Finite element simulation on the spin-forming of the 3D non-axisymmetric thin-walled tubes

The roller movement trace for the 3D non-axisymmetric thin-walled tubes is a complex space curve. Besides the roller rotation caused by contact with the blank, the roller rotates around the workpiece together with the main spindle, and also moves simultaneously along the direction of the revolution radius. The method to correctly establish the finite element (FE) models of the metal spinning is based on the MSC. MARC software was introduced. The calculation formulas considering both the revolution and rotation of the roller were obtained by the mathematical deduction. The saving calculation points m should be a multiple of 4 for one revolution of the roller around the workpiece to obtain the maximum forming force for the spinning of the 3D non-axisymmetric thin-walled tubes. The simulation results conform well to the experimental ones for several spinning methods; the maximum error is less than ±15%.