Hydroforming Suggestions

[Generic]

Is it possible to simulate hydroforming in Inventor, or does Autodesk offer another software package that does?

We manufacture rupture devices by bulging coil stock with air; and have a few non-spherical products that seem to render "revolve" and "loft" useless.

The primary shapes interest are: a circle bulged over a bar, a free bulged rectangle, and a rectangle bulged over several bars, circle bulged with flat (see below).

Suggestions?

[JDMather]

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@Generic wrote:

 that seem to ..."loft" useless.

Why do you say that?
Are you familiar with surface modeling?

Are you familiar with (Boundary) Patch?

I will post some examples later today.

What version of Inventor are you using?

[mrattray]

You can model these, but you wont be able to create flat patterns from them in Inventor. You'll need to look for third party software if you require flat blanks.

[JDMather]

These are examples I had already done - if you want a solution to one of your specific problems - attach the ipt of what you attempted so far.

[Generic]

You caught my qualifier there.

The skylight is similar, and I'll take a look at it in closer detail. Thank you kindly for the commands to investigate and examples to boot.

The headeache I run into are these compound curves that are not defined by anything other than the material's stretch and constraining geometery (a bit different than a mold / hard cap application I think). It'd be nice to define the constraint, relative material properties, and applied pressure. To simulate reality in other words.

(Thankfully, no flat patterns needed, mrattray.)

[JDMather]

I am fairly confident that there are parametric solutions in Inventor, but if not, you might check out the new Fusion 360 program (not to be confused with Inventor Fusion).

[Generic]

Below is what I'd like to be able model.

The built in FEA does exactly what I'm after. I want to create/modify a solid feature in the part tree using the same inputs as FEA (a formed shape defined by its constraints).

[JDMather]

Are you showing Actual results or exaggerated results?

The FEA is limited to relatively small displacements, and in any case, does not allow you to save in the deformed shape.

If the Loft or other tools don't give you what you need, the Form tool in Inventor 2015 might be another option.

[Generic]

Exaggerated certainly, in this particular case. However, on any given day we bulge everything from .001" to >.250" coil and sheet using a few PSI to tens of thousands of PSI.

I understand that this is a bit of a niche, but Simulator produces the correct geometry using the inputs we control (material properties, constraining geometry, and pressure). I'm looking at 2015's free form tools, but the issue remains that I would be working backward from studying manufactured goods instead of defining the items I actually have control of. I'll give IdeaStation a whirl just to document the wish.

Thank you JDMather for your input. It will helpful in the near term.

[JDMather · Accepted solution]

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-ideastation/idb-p/v1232

I like the idea of having functionality of saving in the deformed state, but -

1. I have no idea of the complexity of programming the software to do that (the other MCAD tools I use don't do it either).

2. I suspect an issue of "quality check" would arise for Autodesk as users might expect more reliability from the process than it is capable of producing.  It is implicit in FEA results that the results must be interpreted by a professional user.

And again - the limitation is "relatively" small displacements.  If you are deforming a thin sheet .25", I don't think that meets the criterial of "relatively small displacement"

and in any case,

the very nature of your work is to go beyond the elastic deformation portion of the curve into plastic deformation.

Then at least one of the other two limitations of FEA are then violated.

Limited to isotropic materials.

Limited to linear static stress within the elastic deformation.

[Generic]

I had a good laugh when selecting "Actual" on the displacment display.

I take your points,as far as I can understand them, and thank you again for your time.

This is all well beyond me, I'm an ignorant drafter in search of a better hammer.