PROCESS OPTIMIZATION OF THE INVERTING-FORMING OF THIN-WALLED TUBES WITH RADIUSED DIES

The process optimization of the inverting-forming of a thin-walled tube, when a radiused die is used for the process, involves identifying the optimum value of the radius. This paper explores an optimization design of the process from the viewpoint of the deformation force to identify the optimum radius, allowing for the effects of thickness variation, strain hardening, normal anisotropy, and friction. After taking the minimum of the deformation force and the radius limits as the objective function and the critical equations respectively, an optimization model of the process is established, and an optimization algorithm based on the computer simulation of the process is presented, the program for which can be run on a personal computer. The results show that the process optimization is good: an optimized process not only minimizes the deformation force and make the inverting-forming progress steady, but also prolongs the die life and improves the quality of the part.