Analysis and Numerical Investigation of Effective Preform on Tube Hydroforming Process

For several decades, the tube hydroforming (THF) process has been widely employed in the automotive and aerospace industries for various applications. Its inherent benefits, such as weight reduction without compromising strength, improved part quality, enhanced surface finish, and reduced tooling costs, have driven its adoption in the manufacturing sector. The addition of grooves to pre-forms has been shown to significantly enhance the pressure-bearing capacity of THF tubes, reduce stress concentration, and facilitate achieving near-net shapes during the process. This project focuses on developing a comprehensive Finite Element Model for the THF process, executed in two stages: Stage ۱: Groove Formation and Stage ۲: Final Tube Formation. In Stage ۱, the model analyzes groove formation, determining the internal pressure and axial feeding required for precise shaping. Stage ۲ involves numerical simulations of the actual THF process. The two-stage THF process, referred to as Grooved-THF, was compared with the conventional single-stage Generic THF process. Results demonstrate that Grooved-THF achieves a lower thickness reduction and a more accurately formed corner radius than the generic approach. Additionally, the study incorporates multi-objective optimization of process parameters, including the number of grooves, friction coefficient, internal fluid pressure, and die corner radius, using the Design of Experiments (DOE) methodology and Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The findings reveal that the number of grooves and the friction coefficient are the most influential factors in the THF process.

کلیدواژه ها:

Tube hydro-forming ، T-tube ، ABAQUS ، Finite element