Iterative solvers in forming process simulations

The use of iterative solvers in implicit forming process simulations is studied. The time and memory requirements are compared with direct solvers and assessed in relation with the rest of the Newton-Raphson iteration process. It is shown that conjugate gradient{like solvers with a proper preconditioning can signicantly improve the overall time performance of a forming process simulation as compared to the use of direct solvers. For the presented examples the time spent in the solver is not dominating the total solution time anymor

Robust optimization based on analytical evaluation of uncertainty propagation

Optimization under uncertainty requires proper handling of those input parameters that contain scatter. Scatter in input parameters propagates through the process and causes scatter in the output. Stochastic methods (e.g. Monte Carlo) are very popular for assessing uncertainty propagation using black-box function metamodels. However, they are expensive. Therefore, in this article a direct method of calculating uncertainty propagation has been employed based on the analytical integration of a metamodel of a process. Analytical handling of noise variables not only improves the accuracy of the results but also provides the gradients of the output with respect to input variables. This is advantageous in the case of gradient-based optimization. Additionally, it is shown that the analytical approach can be applied during sequential improvement of the metamodel to obtain a more accurate representative model of the black-box function and to enhance the search for the robust optimum