Abstract
In the automotive industry hydroforming of sheet metal pairs have received special attention because materials for various sheet metal components of vehicles have changed into the high strength steel, aluminum, and titanium blank having low formability. Uniform deformation over the whole region is a main advantage in the sheet hydroforming process. Because upper and lower parts could be produced simultaneously with one tool, hydroforming of sheet metal pairs is competitive in reducing the lead-time and development cost. In this paper, the multi-stage hydroforming process of sheet pair is proposed in order to increase the formability of a structural part like the oil pan shape. The upper die for forming oil pan shape is divided into two parts which can move separately. By the finite element simulation, the design parameters such as geometry of the tool and detailed specification of hydraulic pump were calculated and verified. For the strict comparison of the proposed process, the blank holding force is kept to a constant value during deformation by hydraulic valve. The deformed shape and strain distribution of the manufactured parts with the proposed process are compared with the results of simulation. In the multi-stage hydroforming process, maximum thickness strain was improved by more than 30 percent.
