Gas-Expanded Die Forming of Protruded Pipes in Hard Materials
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing forming apparatuses are limited in their ability to precision-form pipes with protrusions, particularly with hard materials like iron, as they cannot maintain desired precision, restricting the type of materials that can be used.
Innovation Solution
A forming apparatus comprising multiple dies with forming surfaces, a moving mechanism, a gas supply unit, and a control unit that moves the dies and supplies gas to expand and shape the forming material, allowing for the creation of pipes with protrusions regardless of material type by defining a forming space between the dies and pressing the material against the forming surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional forming methods are used, then soft materials like aluminum alloy can be formed, but hard materials like iron cannot achieve desired precision
Solution Approach 1:
The forming process is divided into multiple stages: first forming the basic pipe shape, then separately forming the protrusions. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized for its specific function, enabling precise formation of hard materials while maintaining the ability to form various material types.
Solution Approach 2:
The basic pipe shape is formed first before the protrusions are added. This preliminary action creates a stable foundation that allows subsequent protrusion formation to achieve high precision without compromising the overall forming quality, regardless of material hardness.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple dies are used to form protrusions, then the structure becomes more complex, but the ability to form various material types improves
Solution Approach 1:
The multiple dies are designed with universal functionality where each die can perform both basic forming and protrusion forming operations. This multi-functionality increases material type adaptability while minimizing the increase in device complexity, as the same dies are used for different operations rather than requiring entirely separate tooling sets.
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
Enables the easy formation of pipes with protrusions across various material types, including hard materials like iron, by expanding and shaping the material within the defined forming space, thus overcoming the precision limitations of previous technologies.
Implementation Method 1
a gas supply unit that supplies gas to a forming material which is a base of the pipe with protrusions to expand the forming material
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A forming device includes: an upper die (10) and a lower die (20) having forming surfaces (17a to 17c, 18a to 18c, 27a to 27c, 28a to 28c) corresponding to the outer surfaces of a pipe with protrusions; a moving mechanism that moves the upper die (10) and the lower die (20) such that a forming space for forming the pipe with protrusions is defined between the forming surfaces (17a to 17c, 18a to 18c, 27a to 27c, 28a to 28c) of the upper die (10) and the lower die (20) ; and a gas supply unit that supplies gas to a forming material (100) which is the base of the pipe with protrusions to expand the forming material (100), and a control unit controls the movement of the upper die (10) and the lower die (20) by the moving mechanism and the gas supply to the forming material (100) by the gas supply unit such that the forming material (100) is formed into the pipe with protrusions in the forming space.