Hydroforming of Light Weight Components from Aluminum and Magnesium Sheet and Tube

70075 Significant fuel cost savings can be realized in the automotive and aerospace industries by employing lightweight materials in the design and fabrication of vehicular components. To date, the exploitation of magnesium and aluminum alloys in tube and sheet components has been restricted due to their limited formability at room temperatures in conventional metal stamping processes. The use of novel fabrication methods can open up a wide range of design possibilities by circumventing these traditional materials problems. This project will develop a deeper understanding of the formability of magnesium and aluminum alloys to ultimately exploit their lightweight characteristics and ultimate cost savings. Phase I will employ the tube and sheet hydroforming process to define formability and process parameters. The formability of selected magnesium and aluminum alloys will be studied at room and elevated temperatures using novel hydroforming fabrication methods. The results of this Phase I effort will establish a deeper understanding of the process parameters necessary to form these alloys into useful shapes and provide a solid foundation upon which to develop a practical rapid-production hydroforming industrial machine design with optimized processing parameter definitions. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: A wide application range should exist for hydroforming magnesium and aluminum alloys in the automotive, aerospace and marine industries. Examples include complexly shaped exhaust manifolds, auto body frame components, lightweight door panels, trays, torque tubes, and fluid transport conduits, to name just a few. Benefits include not only significant energy cost savings due to the use of lightweight alloys in vehicular design but also more engineering design flexibility to produce more efficient and safer consumer products.