ENHANCING TRIBOLOGICAL CONDITIONS IN TUBE HYDROFORMING BY USING TEXTURED TUBES

摘要

The effects of textured tubes on the tribological performance in Tube Hydroforming (THF) are discussed. Textured surfaces, namely sand blasted, knurled, and as rolled surfaces were tested under various interface pressure and sliding velocity conditions. Sand blasted textured tubes were found to have the best tribological performance. It was also found that the interface pressure has a great influence on the attainment of Micro-Plasto HydroDynamic Lubrication (MPHDL) and Micro-Plasto Hydrostatic Lubrication (MPHSL) conditions at the tool-workpiece interface. Preliminary finite element simulations on the deformation behavior of tube surface shows that surface textures can be optimized to enhance tribological performance.