Three-Dimensional Bent Hollow Pipe Flange Contact Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for manufacturing three-dimensionally bent hollow pipes, such as suspension arms, face issues with flange portions being unevenly bent, leading to gaps and unstable contact points, making it difficult to form high-quality pipes.
Innovation Solution
A method involving stepwise pressing of a flat plate using multiple forming dies, where flange portions are formed to extend and bend in specific directions, allowing for controlled contact and bending to prevent unevenness, and optionally using a core to manage the pipe's dimensions and shape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If both flange portions are bent in a substantially parallel direction to form a three-dimensionally bent pipe, then the pipe can be formed without using a core, but the flange portions become uneven in length causing gaps and unstable contact points
Solution Approach 1:
The push out portion is formed in advance before the final bending operation. This preliminary formation creates a structural feature that guides the subsequent bending process, ensuring that the flange portions bend uniformly and maintain consistent contact along the entire length, preventing gaps and uneven thickness at contact portions
Solution Approach 2:
The forming process is divided into multiple steps: first forming the push out portion, then forming extension portions, and finally bending the flange portions. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, ensuring precise control over the final contact quality between flange portions
2Device complexity
If flange portions are bent to be substantially parallel, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but uneven thickness and gaps occur at contact portions
Solution Approach 1:
The push out portion acts as an intermediary element that mediates the bending process. By providing a predetermined protrusion, it ensures that the flange portions bend in a controlled manner, maintaining uniform thickness and preventing gaps at contact portions while keeping the overall process relatively simple
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple forming steps are used to create push out and extension portions, then contact portion quality is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into the forming die structure. The die simultaneously creates the push out portion, forms extension portions, and guides the final bending operation. This integration achieves high contact portion quality while avoiding the need for multiple separate forming operations
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method ensures high-quality contact points and prevents gaps and uneven thickness at the ends of flange portions, enabling the formation of three-dimensionally bent hollow pipes with improved structural integrity and shape accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
a material, which is to be processed and which is a flat plate extending in a first plane formed by a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, is pressed in a stepwise manner using a plurality of forming dies from a third direction perpendicular to the first plane
Data Source
AI summary
[Problem] A method for manufacturing a bent hollow pipe is provided, in which even when a three-dimensionally bent pipe is formed, a gap, an uneven thickness, and the like would not occur at contact portions at the ends of both of the flange portions when press work is finished, and thus a pipe having the high quality contact portions can be formed.[Solution] In a method for manufacturing a bent hollow pipe, a material W, which is to be processed and which is a flat plate extending a first plane formed by a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, is pressed in a stepwise manner using a plurality of forming dies from a third direction perpendicular to the first plane, so that two sides of a second plane formed by the second direction and the third direction of the material W are brought into contact with each other, and the bent hollow pipe is made to be bent and extend in a three dimensional manner that is bent in the first plane and in the second plane. The method includes a step in which a push out portion 13 is formed that is pushed out onto the material W in the third direction and that is bent and extends within a third plane formed by the first direction and the third direction in a press work, and extension portions 15 are formed to extend away from each other at both sides which sandwich the push out portion 13 of the material W, and flange portions 16 are formed that are bent, in a direction opposite to a push out direction of the push out portion 13, at ends of the extension portions 15, a step in which while bending is maintained between the extension portions 15 and the flange portions 16, a bent portions 17 between the push out portion 13 and the extension portions 15 are bent in the opposite directions, so that the both of the flange portions 16 are formed in a direction in which the both of the flange portions 16 face each other, a step in which the both of the flange portions 16 of a three-dimensionally bent portion P that is bent in the first plane and in the second plane are bent and brought closer to each other as compared with both of the flange portions 16 in a portion other than the three-dimensionally bent portion P, and a step of bringing ends of the flange portions 16 into contact with each other.