Explicit Simulation of Forming Processes Using a Novel Solid-Shell Concept Based on Reduced Integration

The contribution deals with the simulation of sheet metal forming processes by means of a recently developed hexahedral solid-shell finite element. In contrast to this earlier work, we pursue here explicit integration. The element formulation has the following features. In order to avoid undesired effects of locking an enhanced assumed strain (EAS) concept using only one EAS degree-of-freedom has been implemented. In addition, by means of the assumed natural strain (ANS) method an excellent performance in bending situations is obtained. A key point of the element formulation is the construction of the hourglass stabilization by means of different Taylor expansions. This procedure leads to the important advantage that the sensitivity of the results with respect to mesh distortion is noticeably reduced. Further the hourglass stabilization is in this way designed that locking is eliminated and numerical stability guaranteed. The finite strain material model for plastic anisotropy and non-linear kinematic and isotropic hardening is motivated by a rheological model including Armstrong-Frederick kinematic hardening. The element formulation has been implemented into the academic code FEAP. Some standard benchmark examples are computed.