A theory for initial yield conditions in tube bulging with a urethane rod

Abstract Making use of experimentally determined friction-characteristics of urethane under pressure, the initial yield conditions in tube bulging with an internal urethane rod are analyzed. The analysis predicts a neutral cross-section where the urethane friction changes direction. The effects of the tube diameter, the length of the urethane rod, the applied pressure and the material properties on the position of the neutral zone are determined and the effects of various process parameters on the range of stress ratios that exist at initial yield of the tube being bulged are studied, the initial yield conditions predicted by the present analysis being compared with those from an earlier analysis.