A quasi-symmetric contact formulation for 3D problems. Application to prediction of tool deformation in forging

Abstract : We investigate a quasi-symmetric formulation for contact between deformable bodies, which aims at compensating some of the shortcomings of the standard master / slave formulation. The contact constraints are handled by a penalty method. The method is developed in the frame of a nodal (node to facet) contact formulation and of 3D applications. It is implemented in the FORGE3(R) finite element software for metal forming simulation. It makes it possible to obtain quasi-symmetric results on the deformed bodies in contact, whether the slave or master bodies are meshed with finer elements. Academic tests show the efficiency of the method, which is then applied to an indentation problem