Analysis and finite element simulation of the tube bulge hydroforming process

To investigate the effect of the loading path on the forming result and get the reasonable range of the loading path in tube bulge hydroforming process, a mathematical model considering the forming tube as an ellipsoidal surface is proposed to examine the plastic deformation behavior of a thin-walled tube during the tube bulge hydroforming process in an open die, and thus different loading paths are gained based on this model. The finite element code Ls-Dyna is also used for simulating the tube bulge hydroforming process. The effect of the loading paths on the bulged shape and the wall thickness distribution of the tube are discussed, and then the reasonable range of the loading path for the tube bulge hydroforming process is determined.