Determination of forming limit of a structural aluminum tube in rubber pad bending

Rubber pad bending is a novel technique for producing space frame to reduce the weight of automobiles because it can produce bent profiles with various curvatures in a single production set-up. As in other bending processes, cross-section of the aluminum tube deforms during the process. Such a deformed geometry diminishes bending rigidity, making it inappropriate for a structural use in some cases. Thus, it is important to determine a minimum radius of curvature with sufficient bending resistance. In this study, experimental set-up was developed to investigate deformation characteristics of an extruded rectangular aluminum tube in rubber pad bending. For better understanding of the effect of process parameters such as the material property of rubber and roller diameter, finite element (FE) analyses were also conducted. The ratio of the second moment of inertia of the initial and deformed cross-sections of the tube was introduced as a measure of cross-sectional deformation to represent the variation of bending rigidity of the bent tube. In result, a critical value of sectional deformation and minimum formable radius of curvature with maintaining suitable sectional bending rigidity were, respectively, determined under the present process conditions investigated.