Abstract This work was developed in order to validate a simplified computer simulation method for application in the drawing processes. The results of tensile tests on AISI 1004, AISI 1020 steel and copper were compared to those of computer simulations performed using the Deform-3D TM software. Each specimen was assumed to be an elasto-plastic material and was meshed with 50,000 finite elements. Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio were the only material properties considered in the elastic region; the parameters of Hollomon's equation were used in the plastic region up to constriction. A strain rate of 1x10-3 s-1 was applied during the simulations. In the plastic region, up to the point of constriction, the curves obtained from the simulations showed reasonable correspondence to those determined from physical testing. However, the former diverged from the latter in the elastic and elastic-plastic transition regions. This divergence indicates that microstructural factors may have a greater influence in the transition region than in the plastic region. Moreover, the correlation obtained in the plastic region indicates that the proposed method has the potential to be applied in drawing processes.

Geralmente, o controle do processo de secagem em camada fina, é realizado com base na pesagem de amostras, retirando-se periodicamente a bandeja do secador e levando-a até uma balança, para determinar, por diferença de massa, a quantidade de água que foi retirada do produto durante o processo. Essa operação é a principal fonte de erro na determinação das taxas de secagem, tendo em vista a interrupção do processo de secagem ou a perda de parte da amostra durante a etapa de pesagem. Este trabalho propõe a automação do controle da secagem em camada fina, utilizando-se um sistema baseado em uma célula de carga e em dispositivos eletrônicos endereçáveis. Os valores obtidos pelo monitoramento realizado pelo sistema proposto são armazenados e comparados com valores finais pré-definidos para o processo de secagem. Quando não houver diferença significativa entre os valores medidos e os pré-definidos, encerra-se o processo. O sistema proposto foi testado e validado, fornecendo uma série de resultados confiáveis, com elevada precisão e um excelente desempenho.

Generally, the control of thin-layer grain drying is done based on weighing the samples, periodically removing the sample from the dryer and taking it to a precision scale in order to determine, by the difference in weight, the amount of water removed from the product during the process. This operation is the main source of error in determining drying rates, due to the interruption of the drying process or the sample losses during the weighing stage. In this work, the automation of thin-layer grain drying control is proposed through the use of a system based on a load cell and on addressable electronic devices. The results are recorded in a file and compared with the final pre-defined values for the drying process. The process is terminated when there is no significant difference between the measured values and the pre-defined ones. The proposed system was tested and validated, resulting in reliable data, with high accuracy and excellent performance.