Experimental Research of the Usability on Double Acting Intensifiers in Hydroforming

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey
² Technical Sciences Vocational School of Higher Education, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey
³ Ermetal Otomotiv ve Eşya Sanayi Ticaret A.Ş., Bursa, TURKEY

Abstract

The hydroforming method is especially used for forming lightweight materials like aluminum, magnesium alloys, high strength steels or materials that have limited formability. Intensifiers are the most important component of hydroforming presses. Nowadays single-acting intensifiers are used in hydroforming presses. Single-acting intensifiers provide pressurized liquid by forwarding movement of the piston through one direction and their volumes are limited. The mass of the intensifiers increases significantly depending on their liquid volume capacity and this causes high manufacturing costs. For this reason, two or more single-acting intensifiers which bridged in a parallel circuit are used to manufacture bigger products that require a high volume of liquid. But this method is not an economical solution. So double-acting intensifiers can overcome this problem. The pressurized liquid can be obtained during both forward and backward movement of the piston in double-acting intensifiers which work like a pump. This is why double-acting intensifiers have no volume limit on the contrary of single-acting intensifiers. Yet there are sudden pressure drops in double-acting intensifiers caused by returning movements of the piston to pressurize liquid again. This pressure drops cause some problems to use double-acting intensifiers on hydroforming method. The situation of solving this problem to use double-acting intensifiers on the hydroforming method can eliminate limited volume problem and decrease investment cost of hydroforming presses. In this study, the usability of double-acting intensifiers on hydroforming with die method was investigated. Because of the existing hydroforming press, used in experiments, doesn’t contain any double-acting intensifiers, pressure drops obtained by single-acting intensifier to perform simulated experiment. A die was designed and manufactured to synchronize the blank holder force with pressure drops. This die was integrated on the hydroforming press, located on Selcuk University Hydroforming Laboratory, for the success of the process. Performance of improved system was measured as well as repeatability of applying process parameters and product’s geometry were determined. The AA5754 aluminum alloy used processes, both single- and double-acting intensifier, were compared. Limiting drawing ratios were determined for all processes. It is obtained that pressure drops have no negative influence on formability. Moreover, there is no difference observed in thickness distribution which is an indicator of product’s quality and strength. However, when geometric accuracy was investigated then noticed that the pressure drops count has a good influence on product radius. 5.96 mm product radiuses on the process with single-acting intensifier was obtained 5.92 and 5.10 mm by using double-acting intensifier increasing pressure drop’s frequency.