Bursting failure prediction in tube hydroforming processes by using rigid–plastic FEM combined with ductile fracture criterion

The most common failure in tube hydroforming is the bursting failure due to excessive thinning of large deformation. To evaluate the forming limit of hydroforming processes, the Oyaneʹs ductile fracture integral I was introduced and calculated from the histories of stress and strain according to every element by using the rigid–plastic finite element method. The region of fracture initiation and the forming limit for three hydroforming processes, such as a tee extrusion, an automobile rear axle housing, and a lower arm under different forming conditions are predicted in this study. Also it is shown that the material parameters used in the ductile failure can be obtained from the experimental forming limit diagram. From the results, the prediction of the bursting failure and the plastic deformation for the three hydroforming examples demonstrates to be reasonable so that this approach can be extended to a wide range of practical tube hydroforming processes.