Rubber Assisted Compression Beading of Tubes

This paper introduces a new process for producing compression beads that successfully extends the formability limits of conventional compression beading. The process named as ‘rubber assisted compression beading’ makes use of a preforming stage that involves placing a cylindrical rubber plug inside the tube and expanding it by compressing with a punch. The rubber plug is then removed and the bulged tube is subsequently subjected to axial loading between two opposed dies in order to produce the desired compression bead. The presentation discusses plastic flow and formability limits associated with each individual stage of the proposed process.