Analysis of Residual Stresses in High-Pressure Sheet Metal Forming

The further development of innovative forming processes like sheet metal hydroforming is only possible with the help of detailed knowledge about the workpiece properties and their formation depending on the particular process strategy. Up to now, the detailed understanding regarding the formation of residual stresses in hydroforming processes like the high-pressure sheet metal forming (HBU) is insufficient. Therefore, numerical (FEM) and experimental investigations on the residual stresses induced in HBU-formed workpieces have been carried out. The results show that a higher fluid pressure leads to significantly lower residual stresses in addition to an improved accuracy of form and dimensions.