Simulation of dissimilar tailor-welded tubular hydroforming processes using EAS-based solid finite elements

Developments in the numerical simulation of the hydroforming process of tubular metallic components, tailor-welded before forming, are presented. Both technologies, tailor-welded joining operations and hydroforming processes, are well known in industry, although most commonly separately used. Tailor-welded joining operations are usually encountered in plain sheets, subsequently formed by stamping. Tube hydroforming processing, on the other hand, is frequently associated with parts consisting of uniform thickness, material properties, and dimensions. The present analysis focuses on the influence of process parameters, such as the position of the weld-line and initial thickness values, in the innovative process of combining tailor-welded tubes (with distinct thickness values) and hydroforming. Particular attention is posed on the relation of imposed axial displacement vs. imposed hydraulic pressure into the tube, forming parameters that are not known a-priori in the manufacturing of a new part. Another point of practical interest is the numerical simulation of the weld-line movement, after forming is complete. The finite element method is directly employed in the numerical simulation by means of innovative solid elements suited for incompressibility applications, and included by the authors into the commercial program ABAQUS as user-elements. The obtained results can then lead to a better understanding, along with design tools, for the process of hydroforming of tailor-welded tubular parts, accounting for dissimilar thickness of the basic components.