IIT DELHI

MEL232
Hydroforming
Harpreet Singh Matharoo [Pick the date]

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INTRODUCTION

ydroforming is a metal forming process in which a high pressured hydraulic fluid (liquid or gas) is injected on work piece to either deform or to aid in deforming a given blank material into a desired

shape. One of the distinct features of Hydroforming is that the pressure exerted on the work piece is uniformly distributed. A continuous and better deformation is expected throughout the work piece. So, formability of the material is increased. Also, the product formed is unibody due to which post joining processes like welding, riveting and brazing etc are eliminated. So, sturdier, intricate shaped, light weight, long lasting and unibody product under tight tolerances can be manufactured in a cost effective and time saving manner as compared to other forming processes. The cost and time advantage usually stems from the fact that fabrication steps in Hydroforming are significantly reduced, generally to a single step. In stamping, for example, multiple steps such as blanking, drawing, restriking, hammering etc are needed to finalize a part where as a sheet blank can be drawn into a complex shape in just one step.

Although Hydroforming is a really cost effective and time saving process but the process is still not completely understood and its development is really costly, arbitrary and based on trial and error methods. It is mostly developed by the companies that are richly left. So, the competition is substantially decreased and most of the information is extremely confidential.

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Hydroforming finds its primary application in automotive industry for manufacturing light weight vehicles. But it is widely used in other industries as well. It is greatly used by many reputed car makers like GM, BMW, Audi AG and Volkswagen AG etc. Hydroforming is primarily used in manufacturing of engine cradles, roof rails, frame rails, roof headers, radiator supports, instrumental panel supports, exhaust pipes, exhaust manifolds, suspension parts, body panels etc.

1. Application of Hydroforming in automotive industry.

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2(a)

2(b)

2. Examples of hydroformed (sheet parts): a. Body panels of 2007 GM Pontiac Solstice GXP and Audi R8 has several hydroformed (warm) parts, b. Fuel tank comprising of two parts n be hydroformed into a single step.

In addition to various applications in Automotive Industries, such as engine, suspension and body parts, Hydroforming has also been used as a primary process for manufacturing many products in aerospace industry, such as fuselage, panels and casting, appliance industry, such as fittings, knobs, joints and handles, and plumbing industry.

3(a)

3(b)

3. a various steps involved in Tube Hydroforming, b. Finished product.

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HISTORY

he idea of using fluid to form metals dates back more than 100 years. At that time it was used in forming of boilers and musical instruments. However, the fundamentals of Hydroforming were

established in 1940s. In 1950 Fred Leuthesser, Jr. and John Fox of the Schaible Company of Cincinnati, OH, submitted a patent on Hydramolding. It was originally used in producing kitchen spouts and later Hydroforming found its another application in producing copper Ts as well, which remained an area of largest use of Hydroforming till 1990s. Power per ton produced by the engine of a car is a more important factor than the overall power produced by the engine when it comes to perfect launch, acceleration and braking, which are the most important features of a car I think. This is the only reason why a car like Ariel Atom, whose engine produces only 300BHP (600BHP/Ton), humiliates 600BHP (400BHP/Ton) producing Ferrari Enzo on track and why a car like Land Rover producing around 300 BHP reaches the cliff of a mountain but a cars like Hummer H2 and Cadillac Escalade both producing an approximate of 450 BHP dont. So, lightweight cars have a higher value of acceleration and deceleration. But that is just not it, if you carefully look at the specification sheets of all the cars that I have talked about in last few lines then you will know that cars with lower weight have higher fuel economy and low carbon emission rate. So, its kind of monopoly to produce light weight vehicles. But all these facts were known since the time when Paris had interstate open road grand prix and since then every attempt that could lead to reduction in weight of car was made till 1990s, when Hydroforming

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was considered for manufacturing light weight vehicles and Since then Hydroforming has been adopted by many reputed car maker, mostly from Germany, like BMW, Audi AG, Volkswagen AG and GM etc and It became one of the most important process in production of light weight vehicles. In addition to automotive industry, Hydroforming has also been used by aerospace industry as well for the same reason but here the higher surface smoothness leading to lower drag coefficient also adds to the merits of Hydroforming.

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