Abstract: Buckling and forming processes of tubes with varying slenderness ratio (ratio of length to diameter) under external hydraulic pressure were analyzed with three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) for studying tube external pressure forming (EPF). Buckling pressures for different tube blanks without mandrel were predicted, and an EPF of a carbon steel tube onto a mandrel with six ribs was simulated. Both thickness distribution and buckling pressure from the simulations were found to be in agreement with those from experiments. Buckling pressures are shown to be a function of the slenderness ratio. The tubular part with six ribs produced by EPF has a uniform thickness distribution, whose maximum thinning rate is only 5.9%.

Key words: External pressure forming, Hydroforming, Lightweight component, Buckling