Meshless Simulation of Friction Stir Welding

This paper encompasses our first efforts towards the numerical simulation of friction stir welding by employing a Lagrangian approach. To this end, we have employed a meshless method, namely the Natural Element Method (NEM). Friction Stir welding is a welding process where the union between the work pieces is achieved through the extremely high deformation imposed by a rotating pin, which moves between the two pieces. This extremely high strain is the main responsible of the difficulties associated with the numerical simulation of this forming process. Eulerian and Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) frameworks encounter difficulties in some aspects of the simulation. For instance, these ap…

Numerical Simulation of Friction Stir Welding by Natural Element Methods

In this work we address the problem of numerically simulating the Friction Stir Welding process. Due to the special characteristics of this welding method (i.e., high speed of the rotating pin, very large deformations, etc.) finite element methods (FEM) encounter several difficulties. While Lagrangian simulations suffer from mesh distortion, Eulerian or Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) ones still have difficulties due to the treatment of convective terms, the treatment of the advancing pin, and many others. Meshless methods somewhat alleviate these problems, allowing for an updated Lagrangian framework in the simulation. Accuracy is not affected by mesh distortion (and hence the name mes…

Cross Extrusion With Asymmetric Die: A Comparison Between Finite Element and Meshless Formulation Predictions

A preliminary comparison between finite element and meshless simulations of extrusion

In this paper the extrusion process of a cross-shaped profile was investigated. In particular, the study was focused on the distortion of extruding profiles when the workpiece and die axis are not aligned. The process was simulated using the finite element method (FEM) and the natural element method (NEM), both implemented in an updated-Lagrangian formulation, in order to avoid the burden associated with the description of free surfaces in ALE or Eulerian formulations. Furthermore, an experimental equipment was developed in order to obtain reliable data in terms of deformed entity, required process load and calculated pressure. At the end, a comparison between the numerical predictions and …