Tube design method with small bend radius in elbow forming using reverse push straight and forward forming simulation

According to the numerical simulation technology of reverse push straight the approximate and optimized sizes of tubes with small bend radius elbow(1D) were obtained in push-bending forming. The forward push straight method was used to verify the push-bending forming simulations based on the optimized sizes of the tube and finally the accurate sizes were obtained. The forming specification was aluminum alloy tube of LF2M of φ32 mm×1 mm which was adopted to push with small bending radius. First, with the final forming elbow product sizes and in reverse push straight simulation the optimized sizes were obtained, then adopted to verify the forward simulation. Finally, the pushing-bending experiments were based on the final accurate sizes of the tubes and the results show that: by means of the combination of reverse push straight and forward bending simulation, the method of bending the tube blank with small bending radius is of high reliability. And the sizes of tube and forming elbow of LF2M aluminium alloy tube of φ32 mm×1 mm were obtained in process of 1D hard push-bending relative bending radius elbow. © 2017, China Mechanical Engineering Magazine Office. All right reserved.