ABSTRACT
With the hypothesis of rigid-viscoplastic material model we have simulated the Mannesmann piercing process. The model has been developed using our finite element code METFOR which is based on the flow formulation and the pseudo-concentrations technique. Since the results of the Mannesmann piercing model are highly dependent on the contact boundary conditions, an improved methodology for dealing with this conditions was implemented. The numerical results were validated by comparing them with experimental determinations; therefore, the model constitutes a valuable engineering tool for analyzing the effect of different operational set-ups.