An upper bound elemental technique approach to the process design of axisymmetric forging by forward and backward simulation

Upper bound element technique (UBET) is used to simulate axisymmetric forging and to determine the optimum intermediate shapes using backward simulation. The lowest energy rate is the key issue in achieving the optimal intermediate shape as well as the backward simulation of the process. The two simulations (forward and backward) were tested with different profiles of disks and two cases are presented here. The present method was validated using finite element method (FEM) by forward simulation. As results show, this technique improves the capability of the simulation tool and provides results within a short period of time compared to the FEM. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.