Estimation Hidraulic Parameters For Hydraulic Bulge Forming of Tubular Components
Estimation Hidraulic Parameters For Hydraulic Bulge Forming of Tubular Components
Estimation Hidraulic Parameters For Hydraulic Bulge Forming of Tubular Components
In the language of solid mechanics, bulge forming is actually biaxial stretching of the
material by applying internal hydrostatic pressure. In order to increase the level of stretching,
the onset of plastic instability needs to be delayed. This can be done by keeping the biaxi
tensile stress within a limit. There are two ways to achieve this. One is to feed additional
blank material into the deformation zone and the other means is to control the hydrostatic
pressure.
0924-0136/97/$17.00 0 1997 Elsevier Science S.A All rights rieservd
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10 M. Ahmed, MSJ. Hashtni /Jottmal of MaterialsProcessing i’echnology64 (1997) 9-23
The basic principle of the application of internal pressure and axial load for bulge
forming process remaining the same, development continued on various aspects of the
process- products of newer shape and material9 newer tooling/die configuration 9 experimental
and theoretical investigation for better machine & die design and product analysis. Smith(4)
reported the manufacture of kitchen tap spouts made of brass. Patents(5 and 6) were r
for the manufacture of elbows using two die blocks that could slide across one
Remmerswaal et al. (7) used a die arrangement that could move perpendicular to a
produce an angular Z-shaped product. Boyd et a!.(8) experimented with a si
configuration and varied the gap between the die and blank and manipulated the internal
pressure.
Powell et al.(g) used the sliding die process co bend aluminium tubes. They
formulated a mathematical equation to calculate the internal pressure from the flow stress,
the relative wall thickness and the geometry given by the bend angle. A relcitively close
correlation between the theoretzcal and practical results was presented. Yoshitomi et al. (IO)
described a multiple ram hydraJic bulge forming equipment which could be applied for the
production of large size structure parts as well as small ones.
Limb et a1.(12) carried out bulge forming of tubes of different metals and alloys in
varying wall thickness. It was found in the study that increasing the internal pressure
incrementally in steps during the axial load application is most satisfactory method of bulging
thin walled tubes. However, thickening of the main branch wall was present. It was also
observed that bulge dome was more pronounced if there was no lubricant between the tube
and the die where as a flatter dome was obtained with lubricants in the interface.
Al-Qureshi( 13) presented a theory predicting the limiting bead height, the total applied
load, and the total ram movement required to form circumferential cylindrical bead in a tube.
It was found to be in remarkably close agreement with experimental results obtained using
This paper presents a brief review of the developments in bulge forming in general
and discusses the general requirements for the U-b_.ll-icw of die/tool and machine for the
process. An estimation of the internal pressure, axi load and clamp load based on which
the subsequent design of dies, punches and accessories can be carried out is presented.
Finally the paper concludes with a discussion on the effects of different variables on the
design and the operation of the process.
2.0 P
Two main groups of products that can be manufactured by bulge forming are
axisymmetric and asymmetric tubular components. Typical industrial products belonging to
both of these groups are fittting components such as tee branches,cross branches,angle
branches, staggered branches,elbows etc., stepped hollow shafts,bicycle wheel hub, rear axle
M. Ahmed, MSJ. Hashmi /Journal of Materials Processing Technology 64 (1997) 923
casing of cars, nozzles and missile venturi. Schematic diagrams of typical components are
shown in figure 1.
Most common tooling arrangement for bulge forming consists of two die halves. The
blank is placed within the halves by splitting them and putting together either by clamping
or pressing through a ram. A plunger that can slide into the die provide the axial load. The
plunger has a punch at the tip that fits into the tube blank.Figure 2 shows schematic diagram
of such an arrangement. The plungers at each end are connected to hydraulic cylinders for
drive(not shown in the figure). The placing of the die-blank-plunger composite on the
machine structure can be horizontal as well as vertical. However, most arrangements are
It is also evident from this figure that the greater t
wider is the formability
a FEED SECTION
b UPPER DIE
c HVDRAULIC DRIVERS
d LOWER DIE
e SEGMENTS
f UAt F
0 - I
I I
0 IC 2c I* 4c
Figure 3: The forming limits of a tube of 24.12mm diameter and wall thickness of
(a) 1.03mm and (b) 1.37mm
16 M. Ahmed, MSJ. Hashmi /Journal of Materials Processing Technology 64 (1997) 9-23
-Igeometry
Punch material and
geometry
Clamping mechanism,
Punch
drive mechanism
From the figure we can see that apart from the determination of the technical
parameters there are also operational aspects of the system. One of the main objectives of
design is to obtain a defect free product out of the process. Therefore, it is worth looking
at the causes of defect and incorporate appropriate measures in the design. Various causes
of defect in bulge forming are:
i. improper ratio of internal pressure and axial load;
ii. uneven application of axial load at the ends;
. ..
111. fluid entrapment between the die face and the blank;
iv. improper die corner radius; and
V. lack of precise alignment between die/blank and punch.
Since e. = 0, the volume constancy wound give E, = -E, and the deviatoric stress,
a, = 0. However, the normal hoop stress, a, = )/2(0~+ ux ) or (a, - aO)= %(a, - a, ). But
from the yield criterion (+a,) = S, where S is yield stress of the tube material. Therefore,
(a,-a(l) = S/2.
18 M. Ahmed, hd.SJ. Hashmi /Journal qf Materials Processing Technology 64 (1997) 9-23
where m is the friction factor and k is the shear strength. Substituting the value of (a,-~&=
S/2, equation (1) can be written as
da,+ s
v-= -2mk
(2)
dr 2r X
(3)
0, = +++c (4)
Atr=a,a,= pi , where pi is the hydraulic pressure at the inner wall of the tube. Applying
this boundary condition,
C = -pi+ZSlna+mSa
X (5)
Therefore,
%I+ +$ (a-r)
Or = -pi+z (6)
The axial stress at the inside surface of the deformation zone at radius r = a, is a,, = (a, -
S) =(-pi - S). The radial stress at the outer surface of the tube within the deformation zone
is given by a, = pOwhen r = b. Thus,
e total axial force is made u
Therefore, the total axial force required from each punch including the friction would be
The internal pressure required to initiate yielding is based on the thick cylinder
theory. Following Tresca and von-Mises yield criterion respectively, the desirable internal
pressure would be
(J,(b2-a21 or a,(b2-a2)
Pi= Pi=
2a2 J-sa2
20 M. Ahmed, M.SJ. Hashmi / Joutnal of Materials Processing Technology 64 (1997) 9-23
6.0 Discussion
I
2,800 k PO=Suggested Maxtmum InterfIal PreSSUre.
L PS=Mmlmum Internal Pressure Requwed
2,600 r PO ,/j
,1..-_.’ s’stee’ ,
I I DQ
i-3
SOOk:/ ,’ I -
500 1,000 1.500 2.000 2.500 3.000 3.500 4,000 4.5CD 5,000
1.000
i PO= Suggested maxlmum internal pressure
! j
P3= fblinimum internal pressure
II
h 800’..
r .
Copper
DO (mm)
Figure 6: Internal pressure required (a) for particular size of different material (b) for
different diameter tube blank
I
i
Ys=EOO bar
200r
140
DO (mm)
E-4006 i
% : ,,,’ ,,,-
p=o 3
0 .’
,’ /
i
Lz /’
E i
2200' / u=o 1
_- _----
0
0 2@ 4C 60 80 1oc 12@ 146
DO (mm)
1 ,200 I
I- DO=114 mm
X,=SOmm
:
I
.
s/steel /I’
,’I-’
/’ 4
c
copper : ’ /
DO=56 mrr
X,=SOmm I
DO=28 mm
X,=25mm
500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3.500 4,000 4.500 5,000
Yield Stress, Ys (bar)
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3
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“Bulge Forming of
21.
22.
24.
Method” ; J. Mat. Processing Tech. Vol. 45, 1994 , pp 377-382.
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