Reshaping End-of-Life components by sheet hydroforming: An experimental and numerical analysis

In this study, a numerical/experimental analysis is proposed to investigate the possibility of reshaping sheet metal-based End-of-Life (EoL) components using sheet Hydroforming (SHF). Returned EoL components are challenging to be reformed, they are usually characterised by high heterogeneity as there are localised thinning areas (caused by the original forming processes), and the overall formability is reduced with respect to the original flat sheet material. The reshaping route was replicated: a deep drawing process was adopted to impart a square feature; subsequently, SHF was performed. The capability of remove the deep drawn feature was analysed with varying Blank-holder force, oil press…