Hydroforming Process

Pr: Kenza Bouchaâla

Auto4

2021/2022
Definition and examples of hydroforming
• Hydroforming is a material-forming process that uses a pressurized fluid (liquid or gas) in place of hard
tooling (punch, die, mold, inserts, etc.) either to plastically deform or to aid in deforming a given blank
material (sheet or tube) into a desired shape as depicted in Fig. 1.1.
• With this technique, more complex shapes with increased strength and low cost can be manufactured as
compared with stamping, forging or casting processes.
Definition and examples of hydroforming

The typical process cycle includes placing the blank onto the lower tool, closing the die, and applying
fluid pressure into the tubular section or to one side of the sheet metal blank. The pressure is
sufficient to cause the blank to deform plastically and take the shape of the tool cavity. Holes and slots
can be pierced into the hydroformed component while it is still at high pressure.
Classification of hydroforming

If sheet metal blanks are used, the process is called sheet metal hydroforming, and if tubular-section
blanks are used, it is called tube hydroforming.
Sheet hydroforming

In the sheet hydroforming (SHD) process, sheet blank is formed by hydraulic pressure inside the die
cavity as illustrated in Fig. 1.6. This technique allows a much deeper draw, which is necessary for
manufacturing panels with complex curves.
Sheet hydroforming
Sheet hydroforming can be classified into two parts:
• Hydromechanical deep drawing (HMD)

The hydromechanical deep drawing has no lower die, but applies hydraulic pressure when the
punch forces the blank downwards.
 Sheet hydroforming
• High-pressure sheet hydroforming
The sheet hydroforming process was developed as a combination of deep drawing and hydroforming.

A blank in a blank holder is placed inside a die and pressure is applied to fill the die cavity. The
advantage of this process is the possibility of deep drawing with controlled metal flow into the cavity.
 Sheet hydroforming
• High-pressure sheet hydroforming
The sheet hydroforming process was developed as a combination of deep drawing and hydroforming.

This method of
Each blank can be
sheet metal
of different
hydroforming is
thickness to meet
also called pillow
mass and
forming or
structural-
parallel-plate
performance
hydroforming
requirements.

For the double blank hydroforming, hydraulic fluid is pumped between the blanks after they have been formed by
conventional deep drawing. The cavity of the die is filled by hydraulic pressure and contoured by the upper and
lower dies. The position of the upper punch also could be changed.
 Sheet hydroforming
• High-pressure sheet hydroforming
The sheet hydroforming process was developed as a combination of deep drawing and hydroforming.
Tube hydroforming
Tube hydroforming (THF) has been known by many other names depending on when and where it was
used or investigated. Bulge forming of tubes (BFTs) and liquid bulge forming (LBF) were two early terms,
for instance. Hydraulic (or hydrostatic) pressure forming (HPF) was another name used for a while by
some investigators. Internal high-pressure forming (IHPF) was mostly used by German manufacturers
and researchers. In some periods, it was even called as ‘unconventional tee forming’
HYDROFORMING TERMINOLOGY
In THF, the term length of line of a section is the perimeter length. For a round tube, it is the
circumference of the section and can be calculated:
Tube hydroforming
THF is a material forming process whereby tubes (straight or pre-bent) are formed into complex shapes with a
die cavity using simultaneous application of internal pressure and axial compressive forces from both or either
ends.
The internal pressure is usually obtained by various means such as pumping hydraulic and/or viscous medium
or squeezing intermediate viscoelastic elements such as elastomers and polyurethane.

Pumping hydraulic Elastomers polyurethane

Tube hydroforming
Process parameters for a typical tube hydroforming operation are depicted in Fig. 1.10 . Some examples of
parts manufactured by THF are illustrated in Figs. 1.11
Tube hydroforming

Several levels of fluid pressure are used in tube hydroforming. The fluid pressure used during the die-closing
stage is referred to as die-closing pressure. When the dies are closed, the ends of the tube may be pushed into
the die. This is done at axial feed or end-feed pressure.

After the axial feeding, the pressure inside the tube is increased to the maximum level required for the forming
process. This pressure is generally referred to as calibration pressure. While the tube is at calibration pressure,
holes are punched into the component. This is referred to as hydropiercing . To achieve the required quality
around the holes, hydropiercing pressure may be higher than the required calibration pressure.

In tube hydroforming, the terms axial feed and end feeding refer to pushing the end of the tube into the die
during the hydroforming operation. The pressure inside the tube during end feeding is referred to as end feeding
pressure or feed pressure.
Tube hydroforming

More widely recognized than

sheet metal hydroforming, tube
hydroforming is being applied to
high-volume production in the
automotive and other
industries.

For most applications, the

tubular blanks, as shown in
Figure 2-1, are made from rolled
electrical-resistance-welded
(ERW) or laser-welded
mechanical-grade steel tubing.
Tube hydroforming
BENEFIT OF TUBE HYDROFORMING FOR AUTO MANUFACTURER

•Increased strength to weight ratios

•Improved stiffness torsion and bending rigidly
•Improvement in NHV Factor
•Reduction in number of manufacturing stages, hence tooling.
•Reduction in welding, hence distortion and subsequent heat treatment.
•Reduction in production cost
•Reduced floor area

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 HYDRO FORMING PROCESS CONTROL

A typical hydro forming system would include a press capable of developing

necessary forces to clamp the die valves together when internal pressure acts
on fluid; a high pressure water system to intensify water pressure for forming
component, looking including aerial cylinder and punches, depending on
component and a control system for process monitoring.

Since the entire process of operation takes place inside a closed die, one
cannot see what actually happens during forming.

Therefore the controller plays a vital role in displaying, monitoring and

controlling the different parameters of forming in real time.

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Fig: Schematic Diagram of Tube Hydro forming and Process Control
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 Automobile application of hydroforming
Hydroforming has been increasingly used in the automotive industry since 1990s. Various parts for the
automotive, appliance and plumbing industries are produced by hydroforming technology; they can be
summarized as follows.

Exhaust system parts

Usually made of stainless steel because of the required
structural, thermal and corrosion properties.
Example: BMW 3 series; Mercedes Benz E-class, Mitsubishi
Carisma 1.6.

Chassis parts
The common material used is low- to medium-carbon steel
and aluminum for structural and cost-related reasons.
Example: rear suspension: Mercedes Benz S-Class, BMW 5 and
7 series; Rear Axle: BMW 5 series (aluminum 5xxx series);
Radiator support: Dodge Dakota and Ram.
Automobile application of hydroforming
Cost advantage of hydroforming

The cost advantage usually stems from the fact that fabrication steps in hydroforming are significantly
reduced, usually to a single step. In stamping, for example, multiple steps such as blanking, drawing,
restriking, trimming, welding, etc. are needed to finalize a part whereas a sheet blank can be drawn into
the final complex shape (as shown in Fig. 1.2 and 1.3 as examples) in a single step.
 ADVANTAGES OF HYDROFORMING

•Hydroforming draws material into the mold

Part consolidation
•Weight reduction through more efficient section design and tailoring
of the wall thickness
•Improved structural strength and stiffness
•Lower tooling cost due to fewer parts
•Fewer secondary operations (no welding of sections required and
holes may be punched during hydroforming)
•Tight dimensional tolerances and low spring back
•Reduced scrap

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 Materials Selection
This section looks at materials suitable for hydroforming: their properties, how they are tested and evaluated,
and how forming limits are established.

MATERIALS SUITABLE FOR HYDROFORMING

For a product to be competitive in the marketplace, it must meet cost, mass, function, and quality targets. For
high-volume production components, material cost is a significant percentage of total cost, and a wide range of
cost efficient materials-particularly special grades of steel-have been developed to fulfill the automotive
industry’s requirements.

Flat rolled steels provide strength and stiffness with favorable mass-to-cost ratios. In addition, these steels
exhibit good fatigue properties, high energy absorption in a crash, acceptable corrosion resistance when
coated, and excellent forming properties.

Most of the sheet-steel grades used for stamped components can be made into tubes and used for tubular
hydroforming. Aluminum tubular blanks can be roll-formed from sheet or extruded using various extrusion
techniques.
Materials Selection
hot-rolled steels are the most economical sheet products and are generally available in thicknesses greater than 1.4 mm.

Hot-rolled carbon steels are produced in four main quality

grades: commercial quality (CQ), drawing quality (DQ), draw-
quality special-killed (DQSK), and structural-quality (SQ). The
DQSK grade has the highest formability followed by DQ, CQ,
and SQ.
Cold-rolled carbon steels are produced in two classes:
Class 1, for automotive exterior surfaces that require Class A
surface finish
Class 2, for interior unexposed Class B surfaces.
These steels are also available in four main qualities: CQ, DQ,
deep-drawing quality (DDQ), and extra-deep-drawing quality
(EDDQ).

Hot-rolled steels are generally used for automotive structural

applications and cold rolled for body-structure applications.
 Materials Selection
The material's properties, that are generally required to assess the
component stiffness and strength characteristics under various
loading conditions, are referred to as the material's mechanical
properties.

The most commonly used mechanical properties of ductile materials

are:
• modulus of elasticity (E)
• yield strength (Y s)
• Poison ratio (v)
• ultimate tensile strength (UTS)
• uniform elongation
• percent elongation
• work-hardening exponent (n)
• plastic-strain ratio (r)
 Materials Selection

GRID-CIRCLE ANALYSIS

During any forming process, the metal is stretched and/or compressed to the required
geometric shape.
The extent to which sheet metal can be stretched and/or compressed is largely a function
of:

• Material formability properties: the n and r values, and the percentage plastic
elongation
• The ratio of the stretch elongation (major strain) to compressive elongation (minor
strain).

Grid-circle analysis is a method to determine the major and minor strains that occur on
the surface of the sheet metal component during the forming operation.
 Materials Selection

GRID-CIRCLE ANALYSIS

Small-diameter circles (D), etched on the blank surface will deform to elliptical shapes on the
formed surface.
Length of the major axis (L) of the ellipse is measured and used to calculate the value for
major strain and width of the minor axis (W) is used for minor strain:
Materials Selection

The values from grid-circle analysis are plotted on a graph with major strain on the vertical axis and minor strain
on the horizontal axis. A curve on this graph identifies a safe and a failure range of major and minor strains for
the material. This graph is called the forming-limit diagram (FLD).

The forming-limit curves (FLC) for stamping are developed by conducting a cup-forming test and measuring the
strain limits at material failure (onset of necking)~

The FLD shows that the formability of the material is

significantly increased with an increase of minor strain in
the negative direction. In tubular hydroforming, the
negative minor strain is produced by end feeding the
material
 CONCLUSION

➢ During the last 12 years, general awareness of hydro forming has grown steadily.
Although interest in hydro forming is wide ranging, the vast majority of application are
in automobile industry.
➢ Hydro Forming is not solution for manufacturing all automotive parts. The benefits of
automotive light weight resin and weight reduction achieved by hydro forming can be
measured in kilogram. It cannot be applied to every components, one has to study
inability of hydro forming the part and the economic and technical payback.
➢ Just like transistor revolutionized the electronic industry, hydro forming has taken the
vehicle manufacturing industry a step up to evolutionary ladder, allowing auto
component for vehicle. Although hydro forming has not taken off rapidly as it should
have, is only matter on time before this technology is absorbed in the industry.
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