Numerical Simulation Of Hydroforming Process For Preforming Tube Of Automobile Axle Housing

Automobile axle housing is the basic part of main reducer,axle,wheels and suspension,the main role of which is to support and protect the main gear,differential,axle and so on.Currently,the automobile axle housing is made by casting and stamping-welding.Most complex and sent ideal shapes of axle housing are made by casting.However,The weight of casting axle housing is heavy and making the casting axle housing is a complex process.The stamping-welding technology is great and the scrap rate of stamping-welding axle housing is low,But stamping-welding needs many processes.There are oil spills,fracture phenomena in use.The hydroforming process of Automobile axle is a new technology.Material utilization of hydroforming process is high,saving material,low energy-efficient,less process,light weight,high stiffness and good stress distribution.Preforming tube is an extremely important step in the process,the formability of the preforming tube directly affects bulging-pressing deforming progress.The paper takes one medium truck's preforming tube as the research object.The ABAQUS software was used to simulate the two hydroforming process of the preformed tube with different additional water amount,and the matching relationship between the axial feeding amount and additional water amount was obtained in the hydroforming process.Firstly,this paper makes sure the research object of preforming tube and introduces the hydroforming process and the solving method of finite element analysis software ABAQUS,which analyzes the stress and strain of the preforming tube region to reveal the cause that the tube billet appears wrinkling and rupture.Secondly,ABAQUS software is used for the tube hydroforming simulation for the first time.Then through the analysis of the formability,wall thickness distribution and the reduction ratio,equivalent stress and strain of the tube under the different additional water amount,the good tube forming effect is selected and the hydroforming is conducted for the second time.After that,the good tube after the first hydroforming is made annealing treatment asinitial conditions of the second bulging forming to establish a finite element model of the two expansions.Then through the analysis of the formability,wall thickness distribution and the highest point reduction ratio,equivalent stress and strain of the tube under different additional water amount,the matching relationship between the axial feeding amount and additional water amount of the preforming tube during the second hydroforming process is obtained,which provides a reference for the engineering practice.At last,carried out the bulging-pressing deforming test of preforming tube basing on finite element simulation.Finally,Study the effect of the different axial feeding amount on tube wall thickness in the process of hydroforming process.Through the analysis of the formability,wall thickness reduction ratio of tube to understand the distribution status of the tube wall thickness and the larger area of the tube reducing thickness,then according to the judgment of the pipe burst,the tube is determined whether there cracking defects,so as to choose the tube that its wall thinning rate is moderate to determine the first and second hydroforming tube axial feeding amount range.