Process strategies for sheet metal hydroforming of lightweight components

Abstract

Lightweight construction is based on parts with high strength and low weight. This has triggered the development of innovative forming technologies such as hydroforming, which is already in industrial use for the manufacturing of parts that can be formed out of tubular semifinished goods. New research is now being carried out on sheet metal hydroforming. Hollow parts with large differences in diameter and high strength can be produced in one tool by hydroforming unwelded sheet metal pairs. There is great potential for this technology, but various challenges lie in process limits such as leaking and bursting, in wrinkling with or without induction by the flange geometry and in the process-specific material behaviour. Using state-of-the-art tools for process design, solutions to these issues are proposed and possibilities of processing lightweight materials such as aluminium or magnesium alloys at elevated temperatures are outlined.