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Springback study on a Dodge Ram fender outer panel is detailed in this paper. A simple measurement fixture is designed for the panel, wherein non-contact laser scan technology is applied The measurement data are compared with the original CAD design surface and deviation contour maps are obtained. Consistency of measurement is studied at different sections among three samples. Details of FEA simulations are outlined. The comparison between measurement and simulation prediction is summarized. A method to describe the consistency of measurement and the accuracy of simulation prediction is proposed. The targets for measurement consistency and simulation accuracy are verified. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to investigate various simulation input parameters.

Draw simulation of automotive panels generally consists of two steps: binder wrap and punch contact. The binder wrap simulation while providing the necessary initial conditions for the ensuing punch contact simulation, is itself practically important. For instance, one can evaluate the binder design by examining whether the sheet shape inside the die cavity is buckle-free and/or the sheet on the binder is severely wrinkled. The physical process involved in the binder wrap is dominantly quasi-static and complex as it involves contact, friction and buckling phenomenon. Current binder wrap simulation in the automotive industry has been mainly carried out either using proprietary software or dynamic explicit codes with slow speed. This paper presents implicit-static finite element results using ABAQUS/IMPLICIT Code on the binder wrap of several doubly curved laboratory binders and comparisons with test data. Good correlation was obtained.

One type of TiO2 nanoparticles modified by stearic acid was prepared by sol-gel method and its structure was characterized using Laser Particle Analyzer (LPA) and Freeze-Etching Electron Microscopy (FEEM). To evaluate the benefits of the nanoparticles used as substitute for sulfurized olefins in gear oils, the tribological properties of a mixture of TiO2 nanoparticles with a S-containing additive in base oil were investigated using four-ball tribotester. The experimental results show that there are some synergistic effects between the two additives. In addition, the function mechanism of TiO2 nanoparticles in the tribological process was elucidated by the use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).