INTELLIGENT DESIGN ENVIRONMENT - A KNOWLEDGE-BASED SIMULATIONS APPROACH FOR SHEET-METAL FORMING

Intelligent Design Environment (IDE) is a knowledge based expert syste m which provides a method of integration, automation and optimization in sheet metal forming. IDE integrates knowledge based systems, Finite Element Analysis and Geometric Modellors in Artificial Intelligence f ramework called Blackboard Architecture. IDE uses heuristic knowledge to automatically invoke appropriate finite element analysis codes, cho ose key design parameters and manage communication and interaction bet ween the diverse technologies. The input to IDE is the geometry of the sheet metal component and the constraints on material and process par ameters. The output of IDE is a set of optimized die geometry, materia l and process parameters for successful forming of the component. IDE has been tested on an automotive panel, and the results were found to be comparable to that obtained in experimental studies.