Failure Analysis of Tubular Hydroforming

Abstract

A mathematical analysis of failure developments for tubular hydroforming under combined internal pressure and end feeding is presented in this paper. Under considerations are two distinct failure modes, namely, the bursting and the wrinkling. Bursting is an instability phenomenon where the tube can’t sustain any increased tensile loading. Splitting usually follows due to extreme deformations in the bursting area. Wrinkling is due to high compression load, which deteriorates the quality of the final product. The deformation theory of plasticity is utilized in this study and the material anisotropy is accounted for in the constitutive model. The governing equations for the onset of both failure modes are established. The results are presented as Hydroforming Failure Diagram in the End Feed—Internal Pressure space. A parametric study of the failure criteria for a variety of materials and process parameters is performed. It is shown that the material anisotropy plays a significant role. The results provide guidelines for product designers and process engineers for the avoidance of failure during hydroforming. The validity and applicability of current study are also discussed.