Analysis and Improvement of the Tube Hydroforming Process for Manufacturing of High Strength/Low Weight Components

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The objective of this project is to develop computer modeling techniques for evaluating formability in tube hydroforming without costly and time consuming tryouts. The study will: (1) identify the critical process parameters in tube hydroforining and determine the interactions between them; (2) establish a method for estimating material properties, needed for process simulation, under high pressure; (3) develop criteria for predicting fracture and wrinkling in computer simulations; (4) develop techniques to determine the required properties of the initial tube using reverse engineering techniques once the final part properties are specified; and (5) establish a method for economic evaluation of tube hydroforming against conventional manufacturing processes for a given application. This research project could generate valuable knowledge so that the full potential of this hydroforming process could be dramatically improved by: (1) reducing the trial and error in the tool and process development, thereby increasing the machine utilization rate and saving valuable engineering effort; and (2) expanding the geometric capabilities of the process to manufacture parts with ever increasing geometric complexity. In addition to contributing to the fundamental understanding of the tube hydroforming process, this project will contribute to the development of Finite Element Analysis based guidelines for tool and process design to achieve the maximum process/shape capability in tube hydroforming.