Ability of the flexible hydroforming using segmented tool

The newly developed multipoint flexible hydroforming process is an adequate combination between hydroforming and multipoint forming processes to inherit flexibility and advantage synergies. The single reconfigurable tool allows better flexibility and faster and easier setting to produce varieties of doubly curved surface shells. After reviewing the recent flexible processes using reconfigurable tools, the new process using multifaceted-segmented tool and the theoretical basis was presented. Numerical model was developed and experimental setup was designed and realized to evaluate the ability of the new process, especially for thin shell parts. The investigations conducted on aluminum alloy blank sheets are focused on the sheet thickness and forming pressure as prevailing parameters, controlling the quality of produced shell. The analysis indicates particular favorable behavior of pivoting facets allowing to obtain better curvatures control and to avoid dimpling and edge buckling more than basic multipoint reconfigurable tool particularly for thin metal sheet product. The results obtained prove that the hydroforming with segmented tool is a relevant method to extent the latitude of the hydroforming process in flexibility and its ability for accurate doubly curved shell surface product.