Research on Two-Step Hydro-Bulge Forming of Ellipsoidal Shell with Larger Axis Length Ratio

The two-step hydro-bulge forming technique was proposed to manufacture the ellipsoidal shell with the length ratio of the long axis to the short axis larger than 1.4. A central tube was introduced into the first step of the hydro-bulge forming process to constrain the over growth of the short axis during bulging,and then the central tube was replaced with two polar plates in the second step of the hydro-bulge forming process to manufacture an integral ellipsoidal shell. It is shown that the central tube restricts the growth of the short axis and simultaneously reduces the shrunk tendency of the long axis. The wrinkling occurs due to the latitudinal compressive stress at the equator at the early stage of hydro-bulge forming. However,with the increase of internal pressure,the compressive stress areas gradually decrease and finally the tensile latitudinal stress occupies approximately the whole shell,thus the wrinkles are eliminated. A sound ellipsoidal shell with the axis length ratio of 1.8 is obtained after two-step hydro bulging.

Quantitative analysis of orange peel during tension of 6063 alloy spun tubes

Severe surface roughening during plastic deforming of aluminum alloy parts can produce ＂orange peel＂ defects. To analyze ＂orange peel＂ of 6063 aluminum alloy tube quantificationally, the tensile tests of trapezoidal specimens were carried out. The tubes with different grain sizes were obtained by spinning and subsequent annealing heat treatment. The macroscopical behavior of surface roughening was characterized by surface roughness Ra using a laser scanning confocal microscope. The corresponding microscopic behavior was reflected by microstructures of specimens and in-situ observation using electron back-scattered diffraction（EBSD）. The obtained results show that the surface roughness increased firstly with increasing strain and then decreased slightly. There was a critical strain for aluminum alloy tube, below which ＂orange peel＂ defect would not occur. For the tube with a mean grain size of 80, 105, 130 and 175 μm, the critical strains were 10.17%, 5.74%, 3.15% and 1.62%, respectively. Meanwhile, the surface roughening behavior was produced by serious inhomogeneous deformation between grains as strain increased, and was aggravated as the grain size increased due to the larger local deformation in larger grains.

Fatigue Life Prediction of Horizontal Press Frame Based on Statistical Probability and Its Redesign

Horizontal press as an important part of hydro-forming machine is used to output the horizontal force to keep the high internal pressure during tube hydro-forming. However,the horizontal press frame is usually mounted on the press bed and not pre-stressed. Meanwhile it will be subjected to the reaction force caused by liquid pressure. Stresses are concentrated severely on the assemble region due to deformation,and total fatigue life will decrease. In order to predict the total fatigue life of the frame,the simulations are used firstly to determine to stress concentration region,and then strain gauge measurements are carried out under different loads. Next,the methods of statistical probability are conducted to calculate the fatigue life based on long-term load history. Finally a structure with the considerable longer fatigue life is redesigned.

Stress Analysis of Ellipsoidal Shell with Inner Guide Structure

In order to overcome stress concentration and increase fatigue life of ellipsoidal shells with inner guide structure,the stress analysis for strength check is very important. Owing to the main sectional profile with ellipsoidal shape,the stress distribution for perfect ellipsoidal shell is firstly conducted based on the theoretical calculation and strain gauges measurement. The experiment results show that the stresses increase gradually from pole region to equatorial plane,but still within elastic range. Secondly,strain gauge measurement for ellipsoidal shells with inner guide structure is conducted. The results show that stresses are concentrated at the vicinity of bottom plate and beyond elastic range,so the structural redesign is needed. Finally based on the analysis mentioned above,a redesigned structure with local thickening is proposed. Experimental research shows that the stress varies more even after structural redesign and within allowable range. Numerical simulation shows that both the deformation and fatigue life after redesign are acceptable.