Abstract
Keywords - Tube Hydroforming, FE simulation, Automotive, Rear axle housing, Strain hardening exponent
Hydroforming is the fabrication process that uses a fluid medium to form a piece by using high internal pressure. In tube hydroforming, a tubular blank is placed between two dies, sealed and pressurized with water or oil is injected, deforming the tube walls in the cavity form of the dies. The advantages of the hydroforming over the traditional process are reducing weight, increasing stiffness and rigidity by obtaining tube pieces without welding, making possible to create new and complicated piece shapes and reducing tooling cost. In this study, the estimation of the process parameters for hydroforming rear axle housing, i.e. pressure levels, axial feeds, and initial tube initial length are discussed. Also, simulations were developed for two conditions of material properties and initial thickness of tube and then described effects of these parameters on thickness distribution and stress variation on final part. Simulations were developed with the commercial software ABAQUS/Explicit and the results presented and compared by figures and curves for different conditions.