Evaluation of Formability of Tubular Material by Hydro Forming Technique

Hydro forming is a method of deforming sheet metal and tubular materials with the help of pressurized fluid medium using closed dies. In tube hydro forming process an internal fluid medium (inside the tube) serves as the forming medium and the tube is bulged into the desired shape through simultaneous application of axial feed and internal pressure. This paper aims to study the formability characteristic for aluminum tubular materials (A9 6063) for expansion zone geometry by considering various parameters such as axial feed, fluid medium, and semi cone angle of 20°. The formability of tube material was evaluated by varying the process parameters. In the experimental work, the tubular specimen was placed between the two halves of a split die and filled with oil as the forming medium. This tooling was mounted on a hydraulic press. The punch was advanced into the tube to increase the fluid pressure and to provide axial feed of the tube. The optimal expansion zone geometry was identified by various experimental trials, to get flaw free component.