The objective of this study is to explore the effects of various process parameters upon the tube formability. In the condition of no axial loads and free bulging, the process parameters that affect tube bulge pressure and formability are die corner radius, tube thickness, bulge length and tube diameter. To proceed the experiments of tube hydro forming, this paper has designed and constructed an experimental system of tube hydroforming comprised of a hard tooling set, hydraulic pressurization circuit, an intensifier and a half ton hoisting device, firstly. In experiments, annealed aluminum alloy tubes are used to carry out the experiments with different tube thickness, bulge length and die corner radius. Furthermore, FEM packages are applied to proceed the analyses of bulge height, forming pressure and tube thickness distribution with forming parameters above. Finally, the comparisons between the analytical and experimental results are discussed to explore the deform action mechanism of tube hydro-forming.

No description available.

The tube hydroforming process has gained increasing attention in recent years. Coordination of the internal pressurization and axial feeding curves is critical in the tube hydroforming process to generate successful parts without fracture or wrinkling failure. The stress state at a given time and location varies with the process history and the design and control of the load paths. A new process parameter, counter-pressure, is introduced to achieve a favorable tri-axial stress state during the deformation process. The new process is referred to as dual hydroforming. The benefits offered by dual hydroforming will be characterized based upon the amount of wall thinning, plastic instability limit and final bulged configuration. An analytical model is developed to analyze the stress and strain state in the part (tube) during the dual hydroforming process. The stress-strain condition analyzed will be used to evaluate and compare thinning for tube hydroforming and dual hydroforming. The effect of applying counter-pressure on the plastic instability of thin-walled tubes with only internal pressure and combination of internal pressure and independent axial loading is considered. Finite element analysis is used to quantify the merits of dual hydroforming in terms of final bulged configuration. A parametric study has been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of dual hydroforming based on the various material properties and process conditions. Dual hydroforming results in different stress and strain states compared to tube hydroforming. The counter-pressure enabled favorable tri-axial stress state during deformation that resulted in different thickness and percentage thinning. Finite element analysis showed that for a particular amount of wall thinning there is an increase of around 8% in bulge height for dual hydroforming. Dual hydroforming delays the onset of plastic instability. This increase in the value of effective strain to failure results in an increase of around 12% in bulge height for dual hydroforming as shown by finite element simulations. Results of this study indicate that dual hydroforming can increase expansion i.e. more difficult parts can be designed and manufactured. Also, for a given part geometry, higher strength and less formable materials can be used.

The tube hydroforming process has gained increasing attention in recent years. Coordination of the internal pressurization and axial feeding curves is critical in the tube hydroforming process to generate successful parts without fracture or wrinkling failure. The stress state at a given time and location varies with the process history and the design and control of the load paths. A new process parameter, counter-pressure, is introduced to achieve a favorable tri-axial stress state during the deformation process. The new process is referred to as dual hydroforming. The benefits offered by dual hydroforming will be characterized based upon the amount of wall thinning, plastic instability limit and final bulged configuration. An analytical model is developed to analyze the stress and strain state in the part (tube) during the dual hydroforming process. The stress-strain condition analyzed will be used to evaluate and compare thinning for tube hydroforming and dual hydroforming. The effect of applying counter-pressure on the plastic instability of thin-walled tubes with only internal pressure and combination of internal pressure and independent axial loading is considered. Finite element analysis is used to quantify the merits of dual hydroforming in terms of final bulged configuration. A parametric study has been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of dual hydroforming based on the various material properties and process conditions. Dual hydroforming results in different stress and strain states compared to tube hydroforming. The counter-pressure enabled favorable tri-axial stress state during deformation that resulted in different thickness and percentage thinning. Finite element analysis showed that for a particular amount of wall thinning there is an increase of around 8% in bulge height for dual hydroforming. Dual hydroforming delays the onset of plastic instability. This increase in the value of effective strain to failure results in an increase of around 12% in bulge height for dual hydroforming as shown by finite element simulations. Results of this study indicate that dual hydroforming can increase expansion i.e. more difficult parts can be designed and manufactured. Also, for a given part geometry, higher strength and less formable materials can be used.

The objective of this study is to design and manufacture a tube hydroforming test machine with axial feeding, which includes a forming apparatus¡Bhydraulic system and control system. Using feedback control and fuzzy control criterion to conduct T-Shape hydraulic bulging experiments. Using annealed AA6063-T5 aluminum alloy tubes, experiments are carried out with different working path and different feeding distance, analyze the influences of these parameters on the formability of the tubes.

The automotive industry is required to meet improved fuel efficiency standards and stricter emission controls. Aluminum tube hydroforming is particularly well suited in meeting the goals of lighter, more fuel-efficient and less polluting cars. Its wider use in industry is hindered however by the reduced ductility and more complex constitutive behavior of aluminum in comparison to the steels that it is meant to replace. This study aims to address these issues by improving the understanding of the limitations of the process as applied to aluminum alloys. A series of hydroforming experiments were conducted in a custom testing facility, designed and constructed for the purposes of this project. At the same time, several levels of modeling of the process, of increasing complexity, were developed. A comparison of these models to the experiments revealed a serious deficiency in predicting burst, which was found experimentally to be one of the main limiting factors of the process. This discrepancy between theory and experiment was linked to the adoption of the von Mises yield function for the material at hand. This prompted a separate study, combining experiments and analysis, to calibrate alternative, non-quadratic anisotropic yield functions and assess their performance in predicting burst. The experiments involved testing tubes under combined internal pressure and axial load to failure using various proportional and non-proportional loading paths (free inflation). A number of state of the art yield functions were then implemented in numerical models of these experiments and calibrated to reproduce the induced strain paths and failure strains. The constitutive models were subsequently employed in the finite element models of the hydroforming experiments. The results demonstrate that localized wall thinning in the presence of contact, as it occurs in hydroforming as well as other sheet metal forming problems, is a fully 3D process requiring appropriate modeling with solid elements. This success also required the use of non-quadratic yield functions in the constitutive modeling, although the anisotropy present did not play as profound a role as it did in the simulation of the free inflation experiments. In addition, corresponding shell element calculations were deficient in capturing this type of localization that precipitates failure, irrespective of the sophistication of the constitutive model adopted. This finding contradicts current practice in modeling of sheet metal forming, where the thin-walled assumption is customarily adopted. / text

The objective of this study is design and manufacture a tube hydroforming machine with counter feeding and axial feeding, which includes a forming apparatus, hydraulic system and control system. Using computer program to execute the loading path and correct by sensors. To test the function of the machine, carry out the experiments of T,Y-shape hydraulic bulging with annealed AA6063-T5 and 6011A aluminum, which by different working path, and using the experiments to analyze the influences of these parameters on the formability of the tubes.

A mathematical model considering ellipsoidal surface for the forming tube is proposed in this work to examine the plastic deformation behavior of a thin-walled tube during tube bulge hydroforming process in an open die. In the formulation of this mathematical model, nonuniform thinning in the free bulged region and sticking and sliding friction modes between the tube and die are considered. In the sticking friction mode, the elements in contact with the die do not move or slide after contact with the die. Whereas, in the sliding friction mode, the elements in contact with the die will continue to deform plastically in the subsequent forming process. The relationship between the internal pressure and the bulge height of the tube is examined. The effects of various forming parameters such as the die entry radius, the initial thickness, the length/diameter ratio, material property, etc., upon the forming pressure and the thickness distribution of products were discussed systematically.

No description available.

Master`s thesis deals with unusual high-pressure-fluid forming technology – hydroforming. There are discussed factors, which are affecting forming process, and there are made conclusion of it for machine design process. There is also made an evaluation of tube hydroforming technology in nowadays. The objective of thesis is to design new forming machine for tube hydroforming and for use in bicycle frames design. The machine is to be determined for manufacturing series up to 1000 pieces. Based on calculations and discussion of hydroforming technology, the best design solution is chosen. Machine is designed as modular conception with pressure multiplication of forming fluid right in die cavity. There is no need to use high pressure pump for forming fluid, used in common machines for tube hydroforming. This leads to cost reduction and so the objective of thesis is accomplished.