9358123 Maniatty The purpose of this research is to develop numerical tools to analyze common forming process used in manufacturing in order to better predict material behavior during and subsequent to these operations. Specific processes of interest include rolling, drawing, and extrusion. In such processes, where the material undergoes large deformations, the properties of the material change as the deformation proceeds. For example, polycrystalline metals exhibit both strain hardening and induced anisotropy as they are deformed. In addition, after the deformation process is complete, the workpiece still retains residual stresses. The behavior of metals is determined by microstructural phenomena, therefore, using micromechanics as a basis can lead to a model which more accurately characterizes the material behavior. It would be of value to many industries to be able to predict, via inexpensive numerical simulations, both the material properties and the residual stresses resulting from a given deformation process under given conditions, as these characteristics are directly related to the quality of the product. In the past, these processes could not be accurately analyzed due to the inherent complexity. Now with the increasing power and capabilities of computers, numerical analysis of these process is becoming a reality. Such capabilities would enable a manufacturer to investigate, at low cost, the effect on the quality of their product of certain changes in their forming process before actually implementing the changes. In addition, it could also be used as a tool to aid in the design of new processes.
