Experimental and finite element investigation on the effect of process parameters in incremental forming of polymeric materials

The purpose of this paper is to conduct finite element simulations of the incremental forming process of polycarbonate material. The process was simulated using the commercial software LS-Dyna. An explicit loading-implicit unloading approach for springback was set up, reproducing the experimental conditions. The shell element type and the number of integration points along the thickness were defined through a preliminary numerical approach. A spiral 3D surface was generated and measurements of cone geometry were conducted. The model was validated by comparing experimental and numerical thickness in a cross section, and finally used to investigate the effect of step size on the process mechanics. It was found that a decrease in step size would yield to a more uniform thinning along the profile cross section and produces larger thickness reduction.