Abstract
The estimation of the forming force required for metal forming process is unavoidable for selecting suitable machine and dimensioning die and punch parts. For this purpose the upper-bound method turns out to be very practical in simple two-dimensional cases under well-known boundary conditions. However, the application of this method for complicated two-or three-dimentional cases is very limited or practically impossible. The modified application of FEM in a manner of applying the upper bound method(the so-called Upper-bound Finite Element Simulation Method) fortunately provides the posibility of getting important information about the forming process in a simple and quick way before realizing the process on the machine. It is expected to function successfully even in three-dimentional cases. The application procedure has been explained for two-dimensional cases and its usefulness shown.