Hydroformed tubular member and method of hydroforming tubular members
AssigneeR.J. Tower Corporation
InventorsSteven R. Lotspaih, Wallace R. Birtch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Tubular members for use in vehicle frames are easily and economically produced using a hydroforming process in which a high pressure fluid is presented to the interior of a tubular member, thus causing the tube to expand to meet the interior walls of a forming die. Tubular members can be formed having significant variations in their circumference, diameter along their lengths, or gage along their lengths by using a stamped blank having a predetermined shape which is formed into a preformed tube which roughly mirrors the shape of the desired finished tubular member.
Claims11
Method of fabricating a tubular member comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a blank of a predetermined shape having at least two different thicknesses;
- b) forming the blank into an unformed tube having a cross-sectional area that varies along its length;
- c) joining mating edges of the blank;
- d) placing the unformed tube within an interior cavity in a forming die, wherein the forming die has a predetermined interior surface forming the interior cavity;
- e) closing the forming die to enclose the unformed tube;
- f) introducing a high pressure fluid to the interior cavity of the unformed tube, the high pressure fluid being of sufficient pressure so as to cause the unformed tube to expand so as to come in contact with the walls of the interior cavity, thus forming a formed tube having a configuration similar to that of the interior cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.