Finite element analysis of roll bending

Abstract

The main objective of this project is to model the roll bending process using finite elements. The roll bending machine was previously designed and constructed as an MS project at the University of Balamand by mechanical engineering students. The finite element analysis is done using simXpert software. In addition to numerical analysis, experiments are needed to verify the results. In this report three results for roll bending process are compared: numerical, experimental and geometrical. In the experimental study, different materials with different thicknesses and lengths were rolled in the lab . The first step was rolling aluminum plates, results showed that the radius of curvature is a function of plate thickness and position of drums. The next step was to compare aluminum and galvanized steel and the conclusion was that the results are depending on material behavior not only on the position of drums or plate thickness .This is due to material properties as elastic return and spring back. Geometrical analysis was done using a mathematical approach which doesn't take into consideration material behavior. Consequently, the geometrical results constituted a lower bound for experimental results. Numerical analysis was employed and results correlated very well with experimental results. These important results were beneficial to write a Maltab code that enables the user to set the proper parameters on the machine in order to obtain a desired output diameter.