Hydroforming of porthole extrusion with non-equiangular seams

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11052445-B2
Application number	US-201815884469-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2018
Priority date	Jan 31, 2018
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A method of forming a part includes extruding a billet through a die, forming a round, closed geometry tube from the billet, and hydroforming the round, closed geometry tube. The extrusion die contains an orifice with a central mandrel, a plurality of bridges, and a corresponding plurality of portholes between the bridges. A spacing of the bridges around the mandrel is non-equiangular. As a result, the round, closed geometry tube has non-equiangular welds after emerging from the die.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a part comprising:
extruding a material through a die containing an orifice with a central mandrel, a plurality of bridges, and a corresponding plurality of portholes between the bridges, wherein a spacing between the bridges around the central mandrel is non-equiangular,
forming a round, closed geometry tube from the material, the round, closed geometry tube having non-equiangular welds after emerging from the die;
shaping, by a shaping tool, the round, closed geometry tube into an intermediate shape, wherein the round, closed geometry tube is positioned relative to the shaping tool based on locations of the non-equiangular welds such that the non-equiangular welds are disposed away from a high strained area of the part during and after the shaping process; and
hydroforming the intermediate shape into the part.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the die comprises a plurality of orifices, each orifice having a central mandrel, a plurality of bridges, and a corresponding plurality of portholes between the bridges, wherein a spacing of the bridges around each of the central mandrels is non-equiangular.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein spacing between the bridges and portholes of each of the orifices is identical.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein spacing between the bridges and portholes of each of the orifices is mirrored between adjacent orifices.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of verifying the predetermined position of the non-equiangular welds after the step of hydroforming.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of shaping the round, closed geometry tube comprises bending.

7. The method according to claim 6 further comprising the step of preforming the intermediate shape after bending and prior to hydroforming.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the material is an aluminum alloy.

Assignees

• Ford Motor Co

Inventors

• Ilinich Andrey
• Kernosky Stephen
• Salmonowicz Mark
• Luckey Jr S George

Classifications

• B21C23/00

  Extruding metal; Impact extrusion · CPC title

• B21D26/053

  characterised by the material of the blanks · CPC title

• B21D53/88

  other parts for vehicles, e.g. cowlings, mudguards · CPC title

• B21D26/033

  Deforming tubular bodies (corrugating tubes by applying fluid pressure B21D15/03, B21D15/10) · CPC title

• B23P15/00

  Making specific metal objects by operations not covered by a single other subclass or a group in this subclass · CPC title