Electromagnetic forming device and electromagnetic forming method for aluminum tube member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11084084-B2
Application number	US-201816628903-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2018
Priority date	Jul 12, 2017
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

An electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member, the electromagnetic forming device including: a jig plate in which a support member that has a through hole has been fixed to a substrate; and a tube insertion mechanism that inserts a tube member into the through hole in the support member. The electromagnetic forming device also includes: a coil unit that has an electromagnetic-forming coil part; a coil movement mechanism that supports the coil unit; a current supply part that supplies current for electromagnetic forming to the electromagnetic-forming coil part; and a jig plate transport mechanism that transports the jig plate from a tube insertion stage ST1 to a tube expansion stage ST2.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member, comprising:
a jig plate in which at least one support member having a through hole is fixed onto a substrate;
a tube insertion mechanism that moves a tube member made of an aluminum alloy and the jig plate relative to each other in an axial direction to insert the tube member into the through hole of the support member;
a coil unit including at least one electromagnetic-forming coil portion;
a coil movement mechanism that moves the coil unit in the tube member relative to the tube member in the axial direction to place the electromagnetic-forming coil portion at a tube expansion position of the tube member;
an electric current supply portion that supplies an electric current for electromagnetic forming to the electromagnetic-forming coil portion; and
a jig plate transport mechanism that transports the jig plate from a tube insertion stage to a tube expansion stage, the tube insertion stage being a stage where the tube insertion mechanism inserts the tube member into the through hole, the tube expansion stage being a stage where the coil movement mechanism places the electromagnetic-forming coil portion at the tube expansion position of the tube member.

2. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 1 , wherein the tube member includes a first tube member and a second tube member that are disposed coaxially with each other, the second tube member having an inside diameter larger than an outside diameter of the first tube member, and
wherein an overlapping portion where end portions of the first tube member and the second tube member overlap in a radial direction is formed at the tube expansion position.

3. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 1 , wherein, in the coil unit, the electromagnetic-forming coil portion is disposed at each of a plurality of positions arranged in the axial direction.

4. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 2 , wherein, in the coil unit, the electromagnetic-forming coil portion is disposed at each of a plurality of positions arranged in the axial direction.

5. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 1 , wherein, in the jig plate, a plurality of the support members are fixed onto the substrate so as to be arranged in the axial direction.

6. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 2 , wherein, in the jig plate, a plurality of the support members are fixed onto the substrate so as to be arranged in the axial direction.

7. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 3 , wherein, in the jig plate, a plurality of the support members are fixed onto the substrate so as to be arranged in the axial direction.

8. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 4 , wherein, in the jig plate, a plurality of the support members are fixed onto the substrate so as to be arranged in the axial direction.

9. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 1 ,
wherein the coil unit includes a first coil unit that is inserted from one end side of the tube member and a second coil unit that is inserted from the other end side of the tube member, and
wherein the coil movement mechanism includes a first coil movement mechanism that moves the first coil unit along an axis of the tube member and a second coil movement mechanism that moves the second coil unit along the axis.

10. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 1 , wherein the tube expansion stage is provided at each of a plurality of positions arranged in a transport direction of the jig plate, and the electromagnetic-forming coil portion and the coil movement mechanism are provided at each of the tube expansion stages.

11. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 9 , wherein the tube expansion stage is provided at each of a plurality of positions arranged in a transport direction of the jig plate, and the electromagnetic-forming coil portion and the coil movement mechanism are provided at each of the tube expansion stages.

12. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 1 , wherein the jig plate transport mechanism transports the jig plate while the tube member is continued to be inserted in the through hole of the support member.

13. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 9 , wherein the jig plate transport mechanism transports the jig plate while the tube member is continued to be inserted in the through hole of the support member.

14. The electromagnetic forming device for an aluminum tube member according to claim 10 , wherein the jig plate transport mechanism transports the jig plate while the tube member is continued to be inserted in the through hole of the support member.

15. An electromagnetic forming method for an aluminum tube member, the method comprising the following steps that are performed in sequence:
a tube insertion step of moving a jig plate in which at least one support member having a through hole is fixed onto a substrate and a tube member made of an aluminum alloy relative to each other to insert the tube member into the through hole of the support member;
a step of transporting the jig plate on which the tube member is supported to a next stage;
a coil placement step of moving a coil unit including at least one electromagnetic-forming coil portion and the tube member relative to each other in the tube member to place the electromagnetic-forming coil portion at a tube expansion position of the tube member; and
a tube expansion step of supplying an electric current for electromagnetic forming to the electromagnetic-forming coil portion to expand the tube member.

16. The electromagnetic forming method for an aluminum tube member according to claim 15 , comprising a step of transporting, to a next processing stage, the jig plate on which the tube member that has been expanded is supported.

17. The electromagnetic forming method for an aluminum tube member according to claim 15 , wherein the coil placement step and the tube expansion step are sequentially performed at each of a plurality of the tube expansion positions of the tube member.

18. The electromagnetic forming method for an aluminum tube member according to claim 16 , wherein the coil placement step and the tube expansion step are sequentially performed at each of a plurality of the tube expansion positions of the tube member.

19. The electromagnetic forming method for an aluminum tube member according to claim 15 , wherein the electromagnetic-forming coil portion is placed at each of a plurality of the tube expansion positions of the tube member to simultaneously expand the plurality of tube expansion positions of the tube member.

20. An electromagnetic forming method for an aluminum tube member, the method comprising the following steps that are performed in sequence:
a step of moving
a tube member made of an aluminum alloy and a coil unit including at least one electromagnetic-forming coil portion, the coil unit having been inserted into the tube member so that the electromagnetic-forming coil portion is placed at a tube expansion position of the tube member, and
a jig plate in which at least one supporting me

Assignees

• Kobe Steel Ltd
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Imamura Yoshihaya
• SUGISAKI Takayoshi
• Imai Chieko

Classifications

• Y10T403/4966

  Deformation occurs simultaneously with assembly · CPC title

• B21D39/08 Primary

  Tube expanders · CPC title

• B21D26/14 Primary

  applying magnetic forces · CPC title

• B21D39/06

  of tubes in openings, e.g. rolling-in · CPC title

• B23K20/06

  by means of high energy impulses, e.g. magnetic energy · CPC title