Thermal deformation behaviors of laser rectangular tube bending

Laser tube bending is a highly flexible forming technique where the tube is formed by internal thermal stress induced by laser. In this work, the finite element simulation of laser bending of rectangular tubes were investigated, including discretization of the model, definitions of the laser beam and boundary conditions, treatments of material capabilities during simulation. This FEM was used to analyze the temperature distribution, displacement distribution, stress and strain distribution during laser scanning, at the same time, the mechanism and the effects of tube dimensions on the forming process can be studied. Note that wall thickening occurs in the middle of tube (in the x direction), owing to the rigid-ends effect. The effects of tube dimensions on the moment of inertia were analyzed. The evaluation of the influence of the moment of inertia was carried out on the bending angle. The mechanism of laser rectangular tube bending is the integrated effect of temperature gradient mechanism (TGM) and upsetting mechanism (UM).