M Kalantari - Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran ۱۶۸۴۴, Iran
M Salem - Department of Mechanical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan ۸۴۱۵۶, Iran
M Haddadzade - Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran ۱۵۹۱۴, Iran

Bulge forming process is mainly utilized in producing slit-less lightweight parts with high strength. The main objective in the present study is to investigate the effects of different process parameters on axial forces and the bulge height as well as the variation in tube thickness. The investigated parameters were including as die corner radius, tube initial thickness and the friction coefficient between the tube, die and the polyurethane rod. To evaluate the effects of defined parameters, the bulge forming process specified for copper tube with polyurethane rod, was simulated using finite element method. To validate the simulation results, some experiments were carried out and the practical results were compared with simulation results. The comparison of the results demonstrated adequate accuracy of the simulation results. In the following, the effects of defined parameters on axial forces, bulge height and tube thickness variations were analyzed.

Bulge Forming; Practical Experiments; Polyurethane; FEM