SIMULATIVE ANALYSIS OF TUBE HYDROFORMING PROCESS

Abstract

The tube hydro forming process (THF) is an unconventional metal forming process, where in tube is deformed internally and thus it is forced to expand and conform to the shape of the surrounding die. The performance of this process depends on various parameters like internal pressure, axial loading etc. For FEA simulation, it requires proper combination of material selection, part design and boundary conditions. The estimated process parameters are optimized using FEA simulations. In this work, free bulge shaped tube die was modeled by using Auto CAD. Subsequently, the processes were simulated using DEFORM-3D and it has been verified with experimental work under proper boundary and loading condition. Process parameters study also been conducted. It has been found that the estimated process parameters, developed branch height and the wall thickness distribution along different planes are in good coincidence with experimental results.