Experimental based finite element simulation of cold isostatic pressing of metal powders

The present work addresses the various ingredients required for reliable finite element simulations of cold isostatic pressing (CIP) of metal powders. A plastic constitutive model for finite deformation is presented and implemented into an explicit finite element (FE) code. The FE implementation is verified so that numerical errors (both temporal and spatial errors) are kept under control. Thereafter, uniaxial die compaction experiments are performed required for determining the material parameters in the constitutive model. Subsequently they are applied for the simulation of a complex CIP process. The experimental observations of the complex CIP process were used to validate the overall method by comparing the FE results (final dimensions and average relative density) to the experimental observations. The numerical results (final dimensions and relative density) are in good agreement with the experimental observations. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.