Abstract
Hot metal gas forming (HMGF) is a desirable way for the automotive industry to produce complex metallic parts with poor formability, such as aluminum alloys. A simple hot gas forming method was developed to form aluminum alloy tubes using flame heating. An aluminum alloy tube was heated by a flame torch while the tube was rotated and compressed using a lathe machine and simultaneously pressurized with a constant air pressure. The effects of the internal pressure and axial feeding on expansion and wall thickness distribution were examined. The results showed that the proposed gas forming method was effective for forming aluminum alloy tubes. It was also indicated that axial feeding is a vital parameter to prevent reductions in wall thickness by supplying the material flow during the forming process.
Highlights
In recent years, light-weight materials such as aluminum alloys have been widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries
Keigler et al [3] enhanced the formability of aluminum components via warm hydroforming, and they studied the effect of temperature controlling on wall thickness and microstructure before and after the forming process
Chan and Kot [6] studied the formability of an AZ31B magnesium alloy made by three different loading paths for quadrilateral tubular components fabricated by the warm tube hydroforming process
Summary
Light-weight materials such as aluminum alloys have been widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries. Keigler et al [3] enhanced the formability of aluminum components via warm hydroforming, and they studied the effect of temperature controlling on wall thickness and microstructure before and after the forming process. The limitation of the heating temperature in the tube forming can be eliminated by utilizing gas as a pressure medium.
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