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Department of Mechanical Engineering

Passive Granular Medium-Based Tube Press Hardening

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  • Profil- und Blechumformung
  • Umformtechnische Grundlagenforschung
  • Materialcharakterisierung
a) Process schematic, b) Required corner forming pressure, c) Cross section of a formed part © IULIUL
a) Process schematic, b) Required corner forming pressure, c) Cross section of a formed part
Funding

German Research Foundation (DFG)

Project

427196185

Contact

Siddharth Upadhya M. Sc.

Owing to their high temperature resistance and pressure withstanding capability, granular materials such as zirconia or quartz allow the process combination of hydroforming and press hardening. The active version of the process combination was already successfully implemented and investigated. Due to the non-hydrostatic distribution of pressure inside the medium, the length of the formable part is highly limited.

To overcome this drawback, the passive process variant was developed and is currently investigated. Unlike in the active process variant,  the form giving tools apply the required forming pressure and the granular medium has a passive supporting function and prevents the buckling of the tube walls. The required internal pressures are less than 15 % of that required in the active process and as an additional benefit the thickness of the part is homogenous throughout the part, thus aiding in lightweight design. In the next steps, a tool prototype will be developed and further investigations on the process and product properties will be conducted.