Material and Tooling Effects in the Rotary Draw Tube Bending Process
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Rotary Draw Bending (RDB) is a widely adopted metal forming process for the production of bent tubular components in industries requiring high geometric precision. The final geometry obtained in RDB is governed by both material mechanical response and process parameters, such as tooling configuration and bending conditions [1,2]. These effects coupled with elastic recovery after unloading, alter the bending angle and radius and directly influencing the dimensional accuracy of the formed tube. In this study, the springback behaviour and longitudinal elongation associated with RDB are analysed using combined numerical and experimental methodologies. A finite element (FE) model was developed in ABAQUS to simulate tube bending for different metallic materials (e.g. AISI 304 and S235). The numerical framework was complemented by experimental bending tests performed on steel tubes with thicknesses of 1.5 mm and 2 mm, for FE model validation and parametric analysis. The influence of centreline radius (CLR), bending angle and final elongation was systematically evaluated. The results indicate that CLR is the dominant parameter governing springback response. Increasing CLR leads to higher springback in bending radius, whereas lower CLR values are associated with increased angular springback. Tube thickness was found to have a limited influence on springback magnitude, with numerical differences remaining below 4% for the analysed cases.
