Experimentation and finite element modeling of the integral hydro-bulge forming process

The Integral Hydro-Bulge Forming process (IHBF) has been successfully used to manufacture spherical pressure vessels. The previous research performed on the IHBF process has been on establishing its effectiveness in manufacturing such vessels. The objective of this research was to develop a complete three dimensional model of the process and to verify the accuracy of the model by performing experimental measurements. The general purpose finite element code, ABAQUS, was utilized to model the complete IHBF process. The evolvtion of strains and stresses was determined, and critical regions were identified. Radial movement of nodes were recorded. Experiments were performed to verify the numerical results. Strain gage and LVDT measurements were taken via automatic data acquisition systems. The experimental data were compared with numerical results and favorable agreement was observed.