PROCESS PARAMETER SENSITIVITY STUDY ON TUBE HYDROFORMING

Finite element analysis (FEA) has proven to be a useful tool for stamping process analyses. FEA has also been used increasingly for hydroforming analysis in the industry. In this paper, some examples for various hydroforming process simulations using LS-DYNA are presented. The effects of material characteristics and process parameters on tubular hydroforming are discussed. A sensitivity study has been conducted on a simple geometry. Three steel grades: DS, HSLA and DP, and process parameters such as internal pressure, end feeding and lubricant are included in this study. Simulation results are also compared with experimental data. It is demonstrated that computer simulation can be used as an aid for optimal selection of those parameters to reduce time and cost in tool tryout. In addition, some of the simulation limitations are discussed in this paper.