THE USE OF MULTIPLE FLOW-FIELDS FOR CONTINUOUS SOLUTIONS FROM UPPER-BOUND ANALYSIS

Upper-bound analysis of the double-action forging process using multip le flow fields that consider changes in metal flow with deformation ha s been performed, to obtain continuous upper-bound solutions which are essentially quasi-static solutions to a metal forming problem. The re sults show that multiple flow fields for different geometrical conditi ons characterize the model process better than does the conventional s ingle-flow-field approach and provide a useful tool for predicting mor e precisely the forming loads in industrial applications.