Journal of Applied Mechanical Engineering

Hydroforming Technology and its Significance

Fern Wang^* Department of Engineering Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China
^*Correspondence: Fern Wang, Department of Engineering Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China, Email:

Received: 18-Jul-2022, Manuscript No. JAME-22-18030; Editor assigned: 21-Jul-2022, Pre QC No. JAME-22-18030 (PQ); Reviewed: 09-Aug-2022, QC No. JAME-22-18030; Revised: 19-Aug-2022, Manuscript No. JAME-22-18030 (R); Published: 26-Aug-2022, DOI: 10.35248/2168-9873.22.11.431

Description

Hydroforming technology has grown in popularity in recent years. Automobile lightweight construction is now one of the most important fields of application. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the fundamental concepts of hydroforming processes and their modifications. The correlations between the geometry of the work piece, the design of the tool and process, and the forming outcome are exemplified. Hydroforming is a low-cost method of shaping malleable metals like aluminum into lightweight, structurally rigid, and robust components.

The automobile sector, which uses the complex shapes enabled by hydroforming to construct stronger, lighter, and more rigid body structures for vehicles, is one of the greatest applications of hydroforming. This technique is especially popular in the highend sports car sector, but it is also used regularly in the shaping of aluminum tubes for bicycle frames.

Hydroforming is a type of die forming that uses a high pressure hydraulic fluid to press a working material into a die at room temperature. A hollow tube of aluminum is inserted within a negative shape that has the shape of the desired final product to hydro form aluminum into a vehicles frame rail. High-pressure hydraulic pistons then inject a high-pressure fluid within the aluminum, causing it to expand until it fits the shape. After that, the hydroformed aluminum is removed from the shape. The utilization of water pressure to make complex structures from sheet or tube material is a relatively new method. According to design studies, automobiles can be made substantially lighter by using hydro formed components comprised of steel. Because numerous components can be merged into a single hydro formed part, structural strength and stiffness can be enhanced while tooling costs are decreased.

As the vehicle industry attempts to make cars lighter, stronger, and more fuel efficient, hydro forming applications will continue to grow. Some car parts, such as structural chassis, instrument panel beams, engine cradles, and radiator closures, are becoming typical hydro formed parts. The ability of hydro forming can be exploited to construct more complex pieces. Using a single hydro formed object to replace multiple distinct parts eliminates the need for welding, drilling, punching, and so on. Hydro forming reduces inventory and streamlines assembly.

Process of Tube Hydro Forming (THF)

Tube hydro forming is a soft-tool forming process that has grown quickly in recent decades. It is more ideal for making specific tubular components, such as different types of hollow shafts, discharge pipe of automobiles and aeroplanes, sectional pipes and etc. Tubes were put in the die and the ends were sealed. Then, as a result of the interaction of compressive axial force and internal pressure, it is forced to deform from the elastic to the plastic stage. The distortion increased in direct proportion to the applied load.

When compared to typical processing methods, tube hydro forming always produces components in a single step. As a result, it can improve part quality, such as tighter tolerance and increased rigidity, while also lowering production costs and shortening the production cycle. The tube is inserted in the die, and the press clamps the die. Valves are used to introduce lowpressure fluid into the tube to preform it.

Significance

Complex shapes with concavities can be created by hydroforming, which would be difficult or impossible with normal solid die stamping. Traditional stamped or stamped and welded parts can frequently be created with a higher stiffness-toweight ratio and at a lower per unit cost than hydro formed parts.