Combined tube and double sheet hydroforming for the manufacturing of complex parts

Modern lightweight construction, especially in the automotive industry, requires more and more complex components, which can be manufactured in one process step using the hydroforming technology. The combination of the tube and double sheet hydroforming is a new forming process, where a tube and two blanks are formed simultaneously in a die cavity, combining the advantages of both hydroforming variants. This paper deals with the fundamental considerations and investigations related to connection between tube and double sheet. The finite element analysis and laboratory trials were used in order to design the shape of the die cavity and to avoid wrinkles, material tearing and the collapse of the tube section during forming. The paper will also illustrate an analytical model for the prediction of the edge shape in the constrained bulging of a rectangular cup together with several technical solutions, which enabled a complete forming of the investigated part. Finally, the definition of a hydroforming material factor based on the analytical model of the hydraulic bulging process enables the right choice of sheets with different material strength and thickness for the hydroforming of hybrid components.