Hydroforming of Aluminum Extrusions

Faculty:

Ghatu Subhash •

Students:

Adam Loukus and Mehdi Imaninejad

Background



Hydroforming is a manufacturing process where liquid pressure is used to form complex shapes



Rolled sheet steels and extruded parts are used to form complex parts using hydroforming



Advantages include weight reduction due to part consolidation, reduced investment in tooling, and reduced number and complexity in production steps

•

Research Objective



Optimize the process parameters (e.g., axial feed rate and internal pressure path) to obtain maximum formability in aluminum extrusions



Identify the influence of extrusion welds on mechanical behavior



Development forming limit diagrams



Finite element analysis to identify the interplay between process parameter selection and material behavior

Center for Manufacturing and Design with Lightweight Materials Michigan Technological University

1

Experimental Details and Modeling

-0.2

FLD (AA6082- T4, Extruded Tube)

-0.15

-0.1

Axial Strain

-0.05

Hoop Strain

0.18

0.16

0.14

0.12

0.1

0.08

0.06

0.04

0.02

0 0 2.5

2 1.5

1 0.5

0 0 10 FE Analysis (curved sectio n data) 20 30

Pressure (MPa)

40 FE Analysis (flat sectio n data) Experiments 50 60

Center for Manufacturing and Design with Lightweight Materials Michigan Technological University

2

Weld Characterization

Tensile Specimen Seam Weld

Weld Strength Comparison at 0, 0-offset, 45, and 90 degrees

390 380 370 360 350 340 330 320 -5 Offset - 0 5 15 25 35 45 55 65

Angle to weld (Degrees)

75 Weld 0 Weld 45 Weld 90 No Weld 0 No Weld 45 No Weld 90 Offset - 0 85 95 0 degrees 90 degrees

Center for Manufacturing and Design with Lightweight Materials Michigan Technological University

3