Hydroforming (Sheets and Tubes)
Hydroforming is a soft tool forming process, where a liquid medium, generally water with a small percentage of added oil, is pressurized and controlled by means of a hydraulic circuit and used to deform the workpiece, either a tube or a sheet, into the fi
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Hydroforming (Sheets and Tubes) Elisabetta Ceretti1, Antonio Fiorentino1 and Claudio Giardini2 1 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy 2 Department of Engineering, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy
Definition Hydroforming is a soft tool forming process, where a liquid medium, generally water with a small percentage of added oil, is pressurized and controlled by means of a hydraulic circuit and used to deform the workpiece, either a tube or a sheet, into the final component shape.
Theory and Application Introduction Hydroforming is a well-known technology since the Second World War, but it gained importance in the manufacturing industries only in the recent years, with the development of a broader knowledge in the process and new presses and equipments, which allowed it to be competitive with the conventional forming processes. Hydroforming is a soft tool forming process, where a liquid medium, generally water with a small percentage of added oil, is pressurized and
controlled by means of a hydraulic circuit and used to deform the workpiece, either a tube or a sheet, into the final component shape (Schmoeckel et al. 1999; Zhang 1999; Vollertsen 2001). Table 1 shows several manufacturing fields currently interested in the hydroforming processes. Some advantages common to different hydroforming processes are generally outlined as the possibility to obtain complex geometries with a less number of operations required, a higher degree of accuracy with a better surface finishing compared to conventional forming processes, and a reduction in the thickness of the components since the torsional rigidity increases and a general reduction in the tooling costs (Dohmann and Hartl 1997; Zhang et al. 2004). The drawbacks of this technology include the requirement for higher cycle times and more sophisticated equipments. Hydroforming processes are commonly divided into two groups: tube hydroforming (THF) and sheet hydroforming (SHF). Tube Hydroforming (THF) Tube Hydroforming Applications and Process Parameters
Tube hydroforming (THF) process is based on the introduction of a pressurized fluid coupled with an axial compression in a tubular workpiece, closed in a die cavity. The subsequent expansion forms the final component (Alaswad et al. 2012).
# CIRP 2016 The International Academy for Production Engineering et al. (eds.), CIRP Encyclopedia of Production Engineering, DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-35950-7_6506-3
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Hydroforming (Sheets and Tubes)
Hydroforming (Sheets and Tubes), Table 1 Fields of application of hydroforming processes Sector Automotive industry, vehicles: road, water, air, rail Chemical, gas, oil industry, power station construction Domestic industry Bicycle industry Heating and ventilation, air conditioning Lighting industry Optics
Assembly Chassis, exhaust components, drive systems, frames/bodywork members Piping and tank components, pipe fittings
Component Cross and side members, manifolds, roof rails, spoilers, gear shaft, roof frame profile, engine cradles, inn
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