Modeling of Metal Forming and Machining Processes : By Finite Element and Soft Computing Methods

The use of computational techniques is increasing day by day in the manufacturing sector. Process modeling and optimization with the help of computers can reduce expensive and time consuming experiments for manufacturing good quality products. Metal forming and machining are two prominent manufacturing processes. Both of these processes involve large deformation of elasto-plastic materials due to applied loads. In metal forming, the material is plastically deformed without causing fracture. On the other hand, in machining, the material is deformed till fracture, in order to remove material in the form of chips. To understand the physics of metal forming and machining processes, one needs to understand the kinematics of large deformation (dependence of deformation and its rate on displacement) as well as the constitutive behavior of elasto-plastic materials (dependence of internal forces on deformation and its rate). Once the physics is understood, these phenomena have to be converted to mathematical relations in the form of differential equations. The interaction of the work-piece with the tools/dies and other surroundings also needs to be expressed in a mathematical form (known as the boundary and initial conditions). In this book, the first four chapters essentially discuss the physics of metal forming and machining processes. The physical behavior of the work-piece during the processes is modeled in the form of differential equations and boundary and initial conditions.

Prof. P. M. Dixit has been actively working in the area of metal forming, machining and non-traditional machining for the past 20 years. He has published extensively in leading international journals and carried out projects in the area of metal forming and large deformation. He also teaches Metal Forming, Plasticity and FEM to postgraduate and senior undergraduate students. Prof. P.M. Dixit obtained his bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in 1974. He was awarded a silver medal for securing the first rank in the Department. Subsequently, he obtained his doctoral degree in Mechanics from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, U.S.A, in 1979. After receiving his Ph.D. degree, Prof. Dixit taught at the Aeronautical Engineering Department of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur for 4 years (1980-1984). Since 1984, Prof. Dixit has been teaching at the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

Prof. U. S. Dixit has more than a decade’s experience in carrying out research in the area of metal forming and machining. Apart from FEM, he uses fuzzy set theory and neural networks in his research. Before taking up a research career, he worked for four years as a machine tool designer in HMT Ltd. Pinjore, India. He has a number of publications, some of them jointly with Prof. P.M. Dixit. Prof. U. S. Dixit is currently a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Guwahati. Prof. U. S. Dixit obtained his bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee in 1987. He gained his M. Tech in Mechanical Engineering and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, in 1993 and 1998 respectively.