Tribological Characteristics of Dual-Pressure Tube Hydroforming

Abstract

Dual-pressure tube hydroforming (THF) is a tube hydroforming process variant whereby deformation of the tubular specimen is achieved by exerting fluid pressure on both the inside and outside surfaces of the tube. Dual-pressure THF experiments are conducted to study tribological conditions when producing pear-shaped and triangular parts. The pressure-loading paths are designed to exert pressure in oscillatory pattern: I.e., the pressure on the inside was alternated with pressure on the outside causing the tube to expand and contract/buckle as deformation progressed. During tube contraction, the metal-to-metal contact area is substantially reduced. This leads to reduction in friction stress at the tube-die interface, thus increasing formability. Comparing the geometries of the formed parts produced by dual-pressure THF and conventional THF reveals that the former results in a substantial increase in the protrusion height of a pear-shaped specimen.