Tribological Issues in the Tube Hydroforming Process—Selection of a Lubricant for Robust Process Conditions for an Automotive Structural Frame Part

Abstract

In this paper, an overall review of tribological issues in the tube hydroforming process is presented. Guidelines for the selection of lubricants under the hydroforming process conditions are summarized following a description of existing testing methods and apparatus. A methodology of combined experiments and FEA was presented to determine the coefficient of friction in the hydroforming process in addition to selecting a proper lubricant for a given part and process design. Experimental results showed that thickness of the final part at critical regions, amount of axial feeding and axial force are strong indicators of lubricant performance whereas effect of lubrication on the part flatness, corner radius formation and box dimensions are found to be negligible.