Modified MK model combined with ductile fracture criterion and its application in warm hydroforming

A modified MK model combined with ductile fracture criterion（DFC-MK model） is proposed to compute the forming limit diagrams（FLDs） of 5A06-O aluminum alloy sheet at different temperatures.The material constant（C） of ductile fracture criterion and initial thickness imperfection parameter（f0） at various temperatures are determined by using a new computing method based on wide sheet bending test.The FLDs at 20 and 200 °C are calculated through the DFC-MK model.The DFC-MK model,which includes the influence of through-thickness normal stress,is written into the subroutine VUMAT embedded in Abaqus/ Explicit.The cylindrical cup hydroforming tests are carried out to verify the model.The results show that compared with experimental observations,the predicted FLDs based on DFC-MK model are more accurate than the conventional MK model;the errors between the simulations and experiments in warm hydroforming are 8.23% at 20 °C and 9.24% at 200 °C,which verify the effectiveness of the proposed model.

MULTIPOINT BLANK HOLDER FORCE CONTROL IN HYDROFORMING OF FUEL TANK

The study of multipoint blank holder force（BHF） control is carried out for hydroforming a complicated shape motorcycle fuel tank. By finite element method （FEM） simulation, the configuration of multipoint blank holder cylinders and the setting of local BHF are optimized, and the influences of the multipoint BHF on the hydromechanical deep drawing and conventional hydroforming processes are studied. The desired fluid pressure and whole BHF are predicted for hydromechanical deep drawing process. Finally, simulation results are testified by forming experiment, and they are in agreement very well.

Classification and Analysis of Tube Hydroforming Processes with Respect to Adaptive FEM Simulations

Tube hydroforming process is a relative new process f or production of structural parts of low weight and high rigidity. The successfu lness of the process depends largely on the a proper selection of loading path w hich is axial feeding distance as related to the applied internal pressure. Due to the complicated nature of plastic deformation, a optimum loading path which w ill guarantee good hydroformed parts free of winkle and fracture has often to be determined by finite element analysis. In order to save trials and errors, adap tive FEM simulation method has been developed. To effectively apply the adaptive simulation method, we have to know the applicability of the method. In this pap er, a classification of tube hydroforming (THF) processes based on sensitivity to loading parameters has been suggested. Characteristics of the classification have been analyzed in terms of failure mode, dominant loading parameters and th eir working windows. It was discussed that the so called pressure dominant THF p rocess is the most difficult process for both simulation in FEM analysis and pra ctical operation in real manufacturing situation. To effectively find out the op timum loading path for pressure dominant THF process, adaptive FEM simulation st rategies are mostly needed.

Numerical Simulation and Experiments of Hydroforming of Rectangular-section Tubular Component

In order to reduce high calibration pressure in hydroforming of components with too small radii, a method wasproposed to manufacture automotive hollow components with rectangular shape by relatively lower pressure. Theprocess is simulated and analyzed. It is thought that the friction force between the die surface and tube is a mainreason that high pressure is needed to form small radii. Using the method proposed in this paper, a petal-like sectionshape is first preformed so that the central zones of the four sides of the preform section do not contact with the diesides, thus the tube metal is easy to flow into the transition radii area in calibration stage. Moreover, a positive forcealong the sides is produced by the internal pressure, which is beneficial to overcome the friction force and push thematerial into the radii. Therefore, the pressure for forming the transition radii is greatly reduced and the componentswith small radii can be formed with relatively lower pressure. For the experimental case conducted in this paper, theforming pressure is reduced by about 28.6% than the estimated forming pressure.

Influence of Axial Feeding on Hydroforming of Aluminum Alloy Tubular Part with Rectangular Section

The hydroforming experiment of aluminum tubular part with rectangular section was carried out to investigate influence of axial feeding on thickness distribution and calibration pressure of the corner.Thickness distribution and relation between corner radius and internal pressure were analyzed.The influence of lubricant was discussed.Microstructure and hardness of different region were observed.It is shown that thickness reduction in the transition region between the corner and center region is the biggest.Friction condition has influence both on the thickness distribution and calibration pressure of the corner.As the increase of the axial feeding,the calibration pressure is decreased.There is only little change for the microstructure,but the hardness is increased by 23.3% for the transition region.

Pressurization System in Low Pressure Tube Hydroforming

Advanced high strength steels are the group of material with high strength and good formability, because high strength lesser gauge thickness can be used without compromising the function of component. In terms of economic forming process, hydroforming is the manufacturing option which uses a fluid medium to form a component by using high internal pressure. This process gained steep interest in the automotive and aerospace industries because of its many advantages such as part consolidation, good quality of the formed part etc. The main advantage is that the uniform pressure can be transferred to whole projected part at the same time. Low pressure tube hydroforming considered an inexpensive option for forming these advanced high strength steel. This paper investigates the pressurization system used during the low pressure tube hydroforming cycle. It is observed that the usage of ramp pressure cycle during forming the part from low pressure tube hydroforming results in lesser die holding force. Also, the stress, strain and thickness distribution of the part during low pressure tube hydroforming are critically analysed.

Experimental investigation of friction coefficient in tube hydroforming

The friction coefficient between tube and die in guide zone of tube hydroforming was obtained. In hydroforming, the tube is expanded by an internal pressure against the tool wall. By pushing the tube through tool, a friction force at the contact surface between the tube and the tool occurs. In guiding zone, the friction coefficients between tube and die can be estimated from the measured axial feeding forces. In expansion zone, the friction coefficients between tube and die can be evaluated from the measured geometries of expanded tubes and FE analysis.

Deformation and defects in hydroforming of 5A06 aluminum alloy dome with controllable radial pressure

A new process of hydroforming with controllable radial pressure was proposed to overcome difficulties in the forming of low plastic materials and large height-to-diameter ratio workpieces. A typical 5A06 aluminum alloy dome was numerically and experimentally investigated. The reasons for typical defects were analyzed under different radial pressures. Effects of radial pressure on the thickness distribution were discussed and optimal radial pressure was determined. It is shown by numerical simulations and experiment that a cup with a drawing ratio of 2.4 is formed by the new process of hydroforming with controllable radial pressure. It is significantly effective for the forming of low plastic materials and large height-to-diameter ratio workpieees. Two typical thinning points exit along the dome wall. With the radial pressure, thinning is decreased effectively at the two points, the dome forming is achieved and thickness distribution is more uniform.

Numerical simulation of hydroforming hollow crankshaft

An investigation was conducted on how to control loading path and its effect on thickness distribution after hydroforming crankshaft by using finite element simulation. Four different loading paths were utilized in simulating the forming process of hydroforming crankshaft and the results of different loading paths were presented. It shows that the hydroforming is dependent on the appropriate loading path. There exists the zone of hydroforming process window which can be confirmed by using simulation method. Wrinkles occur as the the internal pressure is less than 20MPa and bursting occurs as the the internal pressure is larger than 32MPa. Only when the internal pressure locates between 20MPa and 30MPa, can an eligible crankshaft component be manufactured.

Analysis of the Internal Pressure in Tube Hydroforming and Its Experimental Investigation

The internal pressure of the process was studied theoretically and experimentally. The external load character and internal stress character of tube hydroforming were discussed first. Then, according to the characters, the function and classification of internal pressure were presented in general. Base on the stress analysis, its effect on the yield criterion and calculation formula were also researched and derived. To verify the correction of the theoretical analysis and derived formula, experiments with different internal pressures were carried out and the result was compared and discussed. It demonstrates that internal pressure plays an important role in tube hydroforming and theory and formula discussed and derived by this paper are feasible in practice.

Optimization approach hydroforming car beam billets based grey system theory

Perfect combination of structural size parameters of the hydroforming billets is essential to obtain even wall thicknesses of the car beam. Finite element （ FE ） analysis on hydroforming car beam was carried out, and the results were optimized according to multiple quality objectives by the grey system theory. With bending angle, bending radius and hight difference along the axis direction as variables, orthogonal FE analyses were conducted and the minimum and maximum wall thicknes ses of the billets with different sizes were obtained. Taking the minimum and maximum wall thick nesses as two references, the correlation coefficient between the data for reference and those for comparison by the grey system theory reduced multi objectives to a single quality objective, and the average correlation level of every billet facilitated the optimization of size parameters for hydroform ing car beam. The trial production showed that the optimization approach satisfied the need of hy droforming car beams.

5A06-O aluminium−magnesium alloy sheet warm hydroforming and optimization of process parameters

The uniaxial tensile test of the 5A06-O aluminium−magnesium(Al−Mg)alloy sheet was performed in the temperature range of 20−300℃ to obtain the true stress−true strain curves at different temperatures and strain rates.The constitutive model of 5A06-O Al−Mg alloy sheet with the temperature range from 150 to 300℃ was established.Based on the test results,a unique finite element simulation platform for warm hydroforming of 5A06-O Al−Mg alloy was set up using the general finite element software MSC.Marc to simulate warm hydroforming of classic specimen,and a coupled thermo-mechanical finite element model for warm hydroforming of cylindrical cup was built up.Combined with the experiment,the influence of the temperature field distribution and loading conditions on the sheet formability was studied.The results show that the non-isothermal temperature distribution conditions can significantly improve the forming performance of the material.As the temperature increases,the impact of the punching speed on the forming becomes particularly obvious;the optimal values of the fluid pressure and blank holder force required for forming are reduced.

Hydroforming of AZ61A tubular component with various cross sections

The effects of temperature on the mechanical properties and elongation of AZ61A tubular part were derived by uni-axial tension tests at various temperatures.Warm hydroforming of an AZ61A tubular part for passenger car was then numerically and experimentally investigated.The complete processes including bending,pre-forming and hydroforming were analyzed and discussed. Microstructure at the corner of the typical section was observed before and after the final hydroforming process.It is shown that the yielding strength,tensile strength and total elongation increase as temperature increases,while the elongation before necking decreases.The temperature range from 225℃to 250 ℃is more suitable for hydroforming of theAZ61A magnesium alloy tube with various cross sections.Pre-forming and hydroforming with high strain values are feasible at elevated temperature.Grain refinement is observed at the corner of the part after warm hydroforming.Thinning ratio analysis illustrates that non-uniform deformation at elevated temperature should be considered in process optimization to avoid severe local thinning.

Wrinkling behavior of magnesium alloy tube in warm hydroforming

In tube hydroforming with axial feeding,under the effect of coupled internal pressure and axial stress,wrinkles often occur and affect the forming results.Wrinkling behavior of an AZ31B magnesium alloy tube was experimentally investigated with different loading paths at different temperatures.Features of wrinkles,including shape,radius and width,were acquired from the experiments,as well as the thickness distribution.Numerical simulations were carried out to reveal the stress state during warm hydroforming,and then the strain history of material at the top and bottom of the wrinkles were analyzed according to the stress tracks and yielding ellipse.Finally,effects of loading paths on expansion ratio limit of warm hydroforming were analyzed.It is verified that at a certain temperature,expansion ratio limit can be increased obviously by applying a proper loading path and realizing enough axial feeding.

HYDROFORMING OF BIMETALLIC LINED PIPE

A new hydroforming process for manufacturing corrosion-resistant-alloy(CRA)-lined pipe is proposed to overcome the disadvantages in existing technologies, and a new kindof hydraulic expansion device for bimetallic CRA-lined pipe has been researched and developed. Itsoperational principal and technical characteristic is also introduced. The stress and strain in theliner and outer pipe during the hydroforming process have been analyzed and the mechanism ofhydraulic expansion method is studied theoretically. The final forming pressure formula is suggestedand the theoretical analysis is verified by experimental investigation. The results indicate thatthe new technology is feasible and can be applied in industrial production.

Characteristics of thickness distribution of tailor-welded tube hydroforming

Both experimental and mechanical analyses were carded out to investigate the characteristics of thickness distribution for tailor-welded tube （TWT） hydroforming with dissimilar thickness. Then, the effects of weld-seam position and thickness difference were also revealed. A multiple-diameter tube was formed to reveal the characteristics and the regularity of thickness distribution during TWT hydroforming. It is indicated that there are obvious fluctuations in thickness distribution though the TWTs have the same expansion ratio. The thinning ratio of thinner tube is bigger than that of thicker tube especially in the zone closed to the weld-seam. The difference in thinning ratio between two tube segments can reach 9%. Consequently, sudden and large fluctuation of thickness appears in the zone nearby the weld-seam. The difference in thinning ratio between thinner and thicker tubes enlarges as the thickness difference increases, but improves as length ratio increases. Different strain states are the main reason to induce nonuniform thickness distribution. The difference in thickness is the main reason to induce different strain states on thinner and thicker tubes.

Warm hydroforming of magnesium alloy tube with large expansion ratio

Process of warm tube hydroforming was experimentally investigated for forming an AZ31B magnesium alloy tubular part with a large expansion ratio. Effects of temperature on the mechanical properties and formability were studied by uniaxial tensile test and hydraulic bulge test. Total elongation increases with temperature up to 250℃, but uniform elongation and maximum expansion ratio get the highest value at 175℃. Different axial feeding amounts were applied in experiments to determine the reasonable loading path. A preform with useful wrinkles was then realized and the tubular part with an expansion ratio of 50% was formed. Finally, mechanical condition to produce useful wrinkles is deduced and the result illustrates that useful wrinkles are easier to be obtained for tube with higher strain hardening coefficient value and tubular part with smaller expansion ratio.

Numerical Analysis of Hydroforming Deep Drawing of Conical Cup

Aided by the FE-code. analysis is carried to find the proper hydroforming deep-drawing condition for the perfect forming of a conical cup that can not be drawn successfully by conventional deep drawing method. Hydraulic counter pressure must be reasonably controlled, otherwise defects such as fracture and wrinkling can not be avoided. Therefore, the forming procedure is divided into three stages, and the counter pressure is adjusted intentionally to make the blank clamped onto the punch at a suitable time, then deformation at dangerous area is resisted by the effect of the counter pressure and the conical cup can be formed without defects.

Optimizing loading path and die linetype of large length-to-diameter ratio metal stator screw lining hydroforming

In order to meet the high temperature environment requirement of deep and superdeep well exploitation, a technology of large length-to-diameter ratio metal stator screw lining meshing with rotor is presented. Based on the elastic-plasticity theory, and under the consideration of the effect of tube size, material mechanical parameters, friction coefficient and loading paths, the external pressure plastic forming mechanical model of metal stator screw lining is established, to study the optimal loading path of metal stator lining tube hydroforming process. The results show that wall thickness reduction of the external pressure tube hydroforming(THF) is about 4%, and three evaluation criteria of metal stator screw lining forming quality are presented: fillet stick mold coefficient, thickness relative error and forming quality coefficient. The smaller the three criteria are, the better the forming quality is.Each indicator has a trend of increase with the loading rate reducing, and the adjustment laws of die arc transition zone equidistance profile curve are acquired for improving tube forming quality. Hence, the research results prove the feasibility of external pressure THF used for processing high-accuracy large length-to-diameter ratio metal stator screw lining, and provide theoretical basis for designing new kind of stator structure which has better performance and longer service life.