Experimental study and finite element analysis of simple X- and T-branch tube hydroforming processes

The tube hydroforming process is a relatively complex manufacturing process; the performance of this process depends on various factors and requires proper combination of part design, material selection and boundary conditions. Due to the complex nature of the process, the best method to study the behaviour of the process is by using numerical techniques and advanced explicit finite element (FE) codes. In this work, X- and T-branch components were formed using a tube hydroforming machine and experimental load paths (forming pressure and axial feed) were obtained for the processes via a data acquisition system integrated with the machine. Subsequently, the processes were simulated using LS-DYNA3D explicit FE code using the same experimental boundary, loading conditions and the simulation results were compared with the experimental results. It was found that the developed branch height and the wall thickness distribution along different planes were in good agreement with the experimental results.