Study on Influence of the Load Path on Formability of Variable Cross-Section Y-Shaped Tube Hydroforming

Abstract

Based on the analysis of now available evaluation indexes to estimate the formability of Variable cross-section Y-shaped tube hydroforming, an aggregative indicator is proposed. The effect of load path on the formability of Variable cross-section Y-shaped tube is discussed by FEM simulation, and validity of the evaluation index and simulations are proved by experiment. Results show that with the broken line load path of 0-30-30-40, the value of aggregative indicator is the greatest and the formability is the best. The optional parameters are testified by experiment and the results are in agreement with the FEM simulation results.