Computer Simulation of Pipe-Bending Processes With Small Bending Radius Using Local Induction Heating
Computer Simulation of Pipe-Bending Processes With Small Bending Radius Using Local Induction Heating
Computer Simulation of Pipe-Bending Processes With Small Bending Radius Using Local Induction Heating
Abstract
Through analyzing the stress state and deformation of pipe bending using local induction heating with small bending radius,
a computer simulation system has been developed based on the FEM software ANSYS and finite strain elasto – plastic theory. The
results, such as the thinning and thickening ratio of the pipe wall thickness, the pushing force with or without a reverse moment
acting on the bending arm, the proper reverse moment that is to be applied on the bending arm to control the wall thinning ratio
of the bending outside to within a particular value, the ovality of the cross-section of the pipe and the spring-back angle after
unloading and so on, can be obtained using this system. Pipe-bending process with a relative bending radius R/D0 = 1.5 and with
or without a reverse moment acting on the bending arm has been simulated. © 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Pipe bending; Computer simulation; Small bending radius; Induction heating; ANSYS
0924-0136/99/$ - see front matter © 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 9 2 4 - 0 1 3 6 ( 9 8 ) 0 0 4 2 5 - 7
76 Z. Hu, J.Q. Li / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 91 (1999) 75–79
Table 1
Relationship between elastic modulus and temperature
ET/E20°C(%) 100 62 59 9
Fig. 3. FEM model of pipe bending.
Z. Hu, J.Q. Li / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 91 (1999) 75–79 77
Thus the deviation angle a ]32.1972°, and the relation- The relationship between pushing force and bending
ship between the rotary angular velocity v of the angle is shown in Fig. 7. There is also a trough at a
bending arm and the moving velocity 6 of the pipe can bending angle of f:52.5°: passing beyond this special
be expressed as follows: bending angle, the forces acting on the bending struc-
ture will be changed, the pushing force is increased
6
v5 =0.0534666 (° s − 1) (5) greatly for controlled bending, which will need to be
R+rm sin a
considered seriously in the design of a pipe-bending
where the unit of 6 is mm s − 1. The thinning of the pipe machine. In order to control the thinning ratio of the
wall at the bending outside can be controlled, according pipe wall thickness at the bending outside to as not to
to Eq. (5), by applying a proper reverse moment to exceed 12.5%, a proper reverse moment has to be
bending arm to control the angular velocity of the arm. applied on the bending arm of the pipe-bending ma-
chine. The relationship between the reverse moment
and the bending angle is presented in Fig. 8, showing a
4. Analysis and discussion of the computer simulation non-linear change. The maximum of the reverse mo-
results ment is reached at a bending angle of f: 20°.
The ovality d of the cross-section of the bent pipe is
In the two cases of computer simulation, no reverse calculated by means of the following equation:
moment is applied to the bending arm for the free- Dmax − Dmin
bending case, and the thinning ratio of the wall thick- d= (6)
ness at the bending outside, otn, is set to be 12.5% for D0
the controlled bending case. The bent pipe is shown in The relationship between the ovality and the bending
Fig. 5. The relationship between the thinning or thick- angle is shown in Fig. 9. The ovality for controlled
ening ratio of the pipe wall thickness, with or without bending can controlled to the very small level of :1%.
the reverse moment, and the bending angle is shown in
Fig. 6. For free bending, there is a trough at a bending
angle of f :52.5°, at which the line linked from the
bending-arm pivot to the center of the clamp is parallel
to the direction of movement of the pipe. The wall
thinning ratio is controlled very well, and does not
exceed 12.5% for controlled bending, according to Eq.
(5).
The relationship between spring-back angle and strain theory, can be used to simulate the whole
bending angle, after unloading, is shown in Fig. 10. process of pipe bending using local induction heat-
The spring-back angle for free bending shows a gen- ing with small bending radius. The results, such as
eral increase with the bending angle, to a relatively the thinning and thickening ratio of pipe wall
high value, whilst the spring-back angle for the con- thickness, the ovality of the cross-section of the
trolled bending shows a general decrease with the pipe, the spring-back angle after unloading, the
bending angle to a very small value. A different bending force and the reverse movement, can be
bending angle corresponds to different spring-back obtained using this computer simulation system.
angles [6]. 2. To produce pipe bends with a small bending ra-
dius (R= 1.5D0) to specification, a proper reverse
moment needs to be applied on the bending arm
5. Conclusions of the pipe-bending machine. The reverse moment
changes non-linearly with the bending angle, for
1. The computer simulation system, that has been which the relationship can be obtained by the
developed, based on ANSYS software and finite computer simulation system.