3D contact smoothing method based on quasi-C1 interpolation

Abstract : This paper describes the effect of tool discretization on the simulation of metal forming processes, especially for processes where the contact area is quite small with respect to the component size. The smoothing of contact surfaces, which are defined by linear triangles, is based on a higher order quadratic interpolation of the curved surface. This interpolation is derived from the node positions and their normal vectors, as proposed by Nagata. The normal vectors are calculated at each node from the existing discretized surface by considering a patch of surrounding elements and using a consistent strategy. The efficiency and reliability of the resulting contact model are assessed on several examples, such as the indentation of a parallelepiped and the drawing of a wire