Effect of Continuous Direct Current on the Yield Stress of Stainless Steel 304 Micro Tubes During Hydroforming Operations

Abstract

Hydroforming at the macro scale offers the opportunity to create products that have superior mechanical properties and intricate complex geometries. Micro tube hydroforming is a process that is gaining popularity for similar reasons. At the same time, due to the physical size of the operations, there are many challenges including working with extremely high pressures and available materials that are typically difficult to form. Increasing the formability of micro tubes during the hydroforming process is desired. Being able to increase the formability is essential because as the tube diameters decrease in size, the required forming pressure increases. As a result, it is important to explore methods to decrease the yield stress during forming operations. Traditional methods for decreasing the materials yield stress typically involve heating either the sample or the process equipment. Using traditional methods typically sacrifice dimensional quality of the part, alter the mechanical properties and also raise the costs of the operations. Electrically Assisted Manufacturing (EAM) is a non-traditional method that is gaining popularity by reducing the necessary forces and pressures required in metal forming operations.