Simplified three-dimensional finite element simulation of tube spinning

A simplified three-dimensional method for simulating plastic deformation in a tube spinning process with rollers and a mandrel in a realistic computing time was presented on the basis of the rigid-plastic finite element method using generalised plane-strain modelling. In this method, the spinning process is approximated as a roll forging process under a uniform elongation in the axial direction. The deformation behaviour in the cross-section of the tube in the gap between the roller and mandrel is stepwise calculated. The effect of the twisting shear deformation in the axial direction during the spinning is included in the generalised plane-strain modelling to improve the accuracy of the calculated results. The twisting shear deformation was derived as a difference from the rotation velocity of the tube. The spinning limit is approximately predicted from the pileup in the cross-section in the calculation.