HYDROFORMING

HYDROFORMING
Hydro-forming uses the force of water or hydraulic
fluids to shape a single part.

There are two types of hydro-forming:
1. Tube hydro-forming
2. Sheet hydro-forming
TUBE HYDROFORMING
Used when a complex shape is
needed

A section of cold-rolled steel
tubing is placed in a closed die
set

A pressurized fluid is
introduced into the ends of the
tube

The tube is reshaped to the
confine of the cavity





Outer tool part
Tube
Inner tool part
Section A - A
Upper tool part
not shown
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 shown

Steps in a typical hydroforming process shown on a small tubular part
With this technique, more complex shapes with
increased strength and low cost can be
manufactured as compared with stamping, forging
or casting processes.
The cost advantage usually stems from the fact that
fabrication steps in hydro-forming are significantly
reduced, usually to a single step.
In stamping, for example, multiple steps such as
blanking, drawing, re-striking, trimming, welding,
etc. are needed to finalize a part whereas a sheet
blank can be drawn into the final complex shape in
a single step. Most of the time, additional post-
processing steps such as hole piercing or trimming
may also be incorporated in this step
Example hydroformed (sheet) parts: a 2007 GM Pontiac Solstice GXP has
several hydroformed (warm) parts, b fuel tank comprising of two halves
can be hydroformed in a single step.
Example hydroformed (tubular) parts for various automotive
applications: a hydroformed steel camshaft (BMW 3.0 L DOHC I-6 Wards
2005) offers 28 to 50% mass saving, b 2-piece roll bar for a convertible car
SHEET HYDROFORMING
2 METHODS:

Sheet steel is forced into a female cavity by water
under pressure from a pump or by press action
Sheet steel is deformed by a male punch, which acts
against the fluid under pressure.
In the sheet hydroforming (SHD) process, sheet
blank is formed by hydraulic pressure inside the die
cavity. 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:
Hydro-Mechanical deep drawing
(HMD)
High-pressure sheet Hydro-Forming
with single and multiple blanks
SHEET HYDROFORMING
a. single action b. double action
HYDROMECHANICAL DEEP DRAWING
This type of sheet hydroforming is similar to
conventional deep drawing except the application of
the counter pressure on the other side of punch. The
hydro-mechanical deep drawing has no lower die, but
applies hydraulic pressure when the punch forces the
blank downwards. The counter pressure is controlled
by a servo or proportional valve. The hydraulic
pressure improves drawing ratio and corner filling.
Nakamura et al . conducted HMD experiments and
showed that higher limiting drawing ratios could be
achieved with counter pressure and the blank attached
to the punch is not stretched during the forming
process
High-pressure sheet hydroforming (single blank)
HIGH-PRESSURE SHEET HYDROFORMING
The sheet hydroforming process was developed
as a combination of deep drawing and
hydroforming. Figure shows a high-pressure
sheet hydro-forming for a single blank. 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.
High-pressure sheet hydroforming (double blank)
a - deep drawing of the double blanks
HIGH-PRESSURE SHEET HYDROFORMING
For the double blank hydroforming (seen in Fig),
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.

In terms of accuracy, it was shown that high-pressure
sheet hydroforming (SHF) can achieve better shape
accuracy than conventional deep drawing.
Another benefit of SHF is that it needs only one die or
punch for the forming process. Therefore, the time and
cost of designing and manufacturing dies is reduced.
SHF is very profitable for various production types
especially lowmedium volume production.
TUBE HYDROFORMING
a - Configuration of a typical tube hydroforming process, acting
loading elements, and geometrical features of importance:
Fa = axial force, Fq = counter force, Pi = internal pressure, Rc = corner
radius, Re = fillet radius;

b - sample T-joint part;
c - exhaust pipe.
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. 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.
TUBE HYDROFORMING
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.
TUBE HYDROFORMING
a - Example parts: hydro-formed A pillar in Volvo C 70 (Shah,2007),
b - rollover bar protection system in Porsche Boxter
In summary, hydroforming has been proven to be a
successful forming technology replacing conventional
stamping and forging processes with promises of cost
savings in terms of elimination of die sets, reduction of
assembly operations via part consolidation, tight
dimensional tolerances, and complex part formability.
Hydroforming of lightweight alloys (sheet, tube and
extrusions) presents challenges as well as opportunities as
it promises further reductions in vehicle weight, an
increase in the part complexity and variety, and cost
reductions compared with, for instance, stamping of
lightweight materials.
TUBE HYDROFORMING
On the other hand, since the application of tube
hydroforming technology into mass production is relatively
new compared with other metal-forming processes such as
stamping and forging, the existing knowledge base, design
rules, and experience for design of parts, process and
tooling are limited.

Hence, the application of this technology to new parts and
areas requires extensive development and trial efforts. As a
result, this leads to high development cost, which
decreases the competitiveness of the tube hydroforming
process compared with other processes.
TUBE HYDROFORMING
Sealing is a problem particularly for the sheet
hydroforming. Improved sealing technologies need
to be developed for successful, robust and
consistent production.

Coordination of internal pressure and blank holding
force (BHF) (or axial feeding in tube hydroforming)
and their optimal applications is still being
performed based on trial- and-error efforts either
by computer or on the plant floor. The efficient
optimization of these leading parameters still
remains to be addressed.
TUBE HYDROFORMING ISSUES
Lubricants, coatings and the determination of
friction coefficients are other problems that are
usually dealt in a case-by-case mode.
Comprehensive methods or computational tools are
yet to be developed.

The effect of bending and pre-forming on the
hydroforming and the final part quality is not fully
understood yet. Trial-and-error efforts have been
widely used costing much lead time and man power.
TUBE HYDROFORMING ISSUES
Clamping devices for closing and holding the dies:
presses (hydraulic)
Tooling: dies, inserts, etc.
Pressure system; pumps, intensifier, valves,
sensors/transducers, controls,
Hydraulic cylinders and punches: for sealing the
tube and move the material
Process control systems; computers, data
acquisition, transducers, etc.
Hydraulic conditioners: coolers, filters, additives
Hydroforming systems, equipment,
Tooling and controls
overall system elements from workpiece to the
equipment and its environment
Presses or clamping devices
schematic of a typical hydroforming system including part, tools
(die, punches, cylinders), controls, hydraulics, pumps, and cleaning
tank.
Presses or clamping devices
In principle, a tube hydroforming press or machine
must have the following features:
Appropriate die closing force;
Appropriate bed size to hold the dies;
Adjustable/movable axial punches with computer
controlled positioning;
Adjustable/movable rams for counter forces with
free and position control;
Optional: automatic work-piece handling;
High pressure (2000 to 5000 bar/200500 MPa) and
fluid-pumping capability with tight control.
Hydroforming systems
Hydroforming tooling consists of die holders, dies,
inserts, punches, sealing systems and, sometimes,
counter punches or movable inserts. Due to the
high-pressure values involved in THF process, strong
tooling systems are required to minimize die
deflection and part tolerance deviations.
Hence, tool steel such as D2 is used for inserts
whereas 1045 steel is used for the dies. Inserts are
usually hardened and polished to achieve smooth
surface finish to reduce friction and die wear.
Hydroforming systems Tooling
The design of part positioning and parting lines is of
utmost importance to achieve the necessary
reduction in closing force and guarantee the
formability of the part. For structural parts, diagonal
positioning is one way of balancing the die
deflection between vertical and horizontal
directions of the part. Because of the need for
confidentiality in this high demanding technology,
limited information regarding tooling design is
released to the public as it is associated with other
aspects of the technology.
Hydroforming systems Tooling
Schematic view of a typical hydroforming die
Hydroforming systems Tooling
THE GENERAL FEATURES
The general features and main requirements for
hydroforming tooling are as follows:
High strength against stresses due to large internal
pressure and axial loading,
Good surface finish to minimize friction and
increase formability,
Flexibility by interchangeable inserts
Good guiding systems,
Balanced design to minimize the closing force
requirements.
Pressure system
The pressure system (pump, intensifier and control and relief
valves, coolers, etc.) should be designed and selected so as to
provide the required pressure levels for a wide range of parts
to obtain flexibility in the system invested.
The applied pressure should have a range from 2000 bar (30
ksi/200 MPa) up to 10 000 bar (150 ksi/1000 MPa) depending
on the parts in consideration. In many current industrial
applications, the use of pressures up to 3000 bar (45 ksi/300
MPa) are sufficient.
The flow rate can reach up to 50 l min1 in order to allow
short cycle times. In order to increase the production rate,
multiple intensifiers are used to shorten the pressurizing
period and compensate for time losses when rapid pressure
increases are required by any part or process design.
APPLICATIONS (CONT)
1. Body shell
2. Driving shaft
3. Assembled camshaft
4. Exhaust systems
5. Engine cooling system
6. Radiator frame
7. Safety requirements
8. Engine bearer
9. Integral member
10. Cross member
11. Frame structure parts
12. Axle elements
MATERIALS
Steel (mild and harder steels)
Stainless Steel
Aluminum alloys
Research continues to expand the capabilities
of the hydroforming process
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Hydroforming is generally defined as either low-
pressure or high pressure.
The demarcation point is 83MPa
Constant pressure volumetric expansion
< 5% required to shape the part = Low pressure
> 5% (but < 25%) = High Pressure
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Product
- Geometry, thickness
distribution
- Dimensional
accuracy/tolerances
- Surface finish
- Microstructure, mechanical
and metallurgical
properties, hardness
Tool/Dies
-Geometry of tools
- Material hardness
- Surface conditions
- Stiffness and accuracy
Equipment
- Press capacity
- Speed/production rate
- Force/energy capabilities
- Rigidity and accuracy
Work piece/Material
-Flow stress as a function of strain, strain rate and
microstructure
-Workability as a function of strain, strain rate and
microstructure
- Surface conditions
- Geometry of tubing ( outside diameter, tube wall
thickness, roundness, properties of welding line, etc.)
Deformation zone
- Deformation mechanics, model used
for analysis
- Metal flow, velocities, strain rates,
strains (kinematics)
- Stresses (variation during
deformation)
Principle of Hydroforming
Production of an Engine Bracket
Production of a T part
ADVANTAGES
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
Results compared to conventional steel body structure:


50% less weight
45% less parts (less tools, less assembly)
45% less welding seams
Tighter tolerances
ADVANTAGES
Achievable Shapes
Working diagram for expansion
Working diagram for expansion
At the end of the forming process, the tube wall has to be formed into
corner radii of the die cavity which have not been formed during the
main expansion of the tube. This requires raising the internal pressure
up to its maximum value pk
CONCLUSION
Hydroforming is an innovative forming process

Hydroforming is becoming more popular
(ie.automotive and aerospace industries)

The advantages outweigh the limitations

Material selection is broad and continues to increase

Information can be found everywhere!