On process parameter estimation for the tube hydroforming process

Tube hydroforming is a for ming process where an inner pressure combined with axial feeding deforms the tube to the shape of a die cavity. One of the main concerns when designing such a process is to avoid burst pressure, i.e. the process state where the hardening of the material is unable to resist the increase in inner pressure and wall thickness reduction. The success of a hydroforming process strongly depends on the choice of process parameters, i.e. the combination of material feeding and inner pressure. Especially in hydroforming processes, where the free forming phase is substantial, the process is proved to be very sensitive to the inner pressure. By transforming the problem into a deformation controlled rather than a force controlled process, the results from the process parameter estimation become more reliable but on the other hand less intuitive. In this context, three distinct parameter estimation procedures are suggested. Firstly, a self feeding based procedure is proposed with the intention of being a fast method to be used as a first estimate of suitable process parameters. Secondly, an iterative optimization problem set up is presented. Thirdly, and finally, an adaptive simulation procedure based on process response approximations is proposed, which only requires a limited number of simulation runs. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.