Abstract
New requirements of the automotive industry, concerning lightweight and non-corroding construction, demand new production methods. Due to this the hydroforming process of aluminium alloys are of special interest. The disadvantage of aluminium alloys is the poorer formability compared to steel. A method to increase the formability of the aluminium alloys during the hydroforming process is the enhancement of the forming temperature.
The following work starts with the description of the hydroforming process at room temperature. Afterwards a concept for the thermal hydroforming is developed and a forming tool for sheet metals is realised. With this tool, experiments are executed which investigate the formability, the wall-thickness distribution, the microstructure before and after the forming and the strain distribution of the aluminium alloys at enhanced temperatures. With this knowledge, a thermal hydroforming tube part will be developed and prototypes will be produced. Simultaneous to the practical experiments a Finite-Element Model will be developed and used for a parameter study as well as for the design of the thermal hydroforming part.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 363-370 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Materials Processing Technology |
| Volume | 167 |
| Issue number | 2-3 |
| Early online date | 25 Jul 2005 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Aug 2005 |
Keywords
- Hydroforming
- Thermal hydroforming
- Aluminium alloy
- FE-analysis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ceramics and Composites
- Computer Science Applications
- Metals and Alloys
- Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering