Research On The Key Technologies Of Mechanical Integral Forming Of Auto Axle Housing

With the rapid development of the automotive industry, drive axle is used ingreat quantities, appear even supply phenomenon. As an important role of thedrive axle, automobile axle housing demands high mechanical strength, stiffnessand fatigue resistance performance, while the processing cost and the productionefficiency need to be reasonable control. Currently, auto axle housing traditionalproduction process such as casting and impulse welding has disadvantages of lowproduction efficiency and high production cost. Furthermore, the expansionforming technology of axle housing needs much less welding zone thanstamping-welding technology, but it has a strength problem about half shaftbushing after welding and cannot satisfy he needs of the auto industry and thepromotion of the energy saving and emission reduction.With respect to the deficiency of the traditional production process of autoaxle housing, the deformation theory of three times necking is derived. Finiteelement was used with ABAQUS software to study this process, the stress andstrain distribution of tube billet were obtained, also we analyzed the processfeature such as warping phenomenon, wall thickness,axial elongation and so on.Reasonable improvement was put forward, on the guiding significance of diedesign and experiment of three times necking. Finite element was used with thefinite element import technology to study this process, the stress and straindistribution of tube billet were obtained. The characteristics of tube end neckingprocess were discussed. The simulation results show that with the increase ofnecking paths, warping value and out-of-roundness decrease, while wall thickness,axial length and maximum load increase.Secondly, the pushing process was theoretical derived and simulated by FEAtwice import technology. The stress and strain distributions of tube were analyzedand the characteristics of the pushing process were discussed. Feasible schemewere promoted to guide the design of dies and experiments of the pushing process.Finally, the theory of mechanical bulging process was derived and simulatedby FEM software DEFORM3D. The stress and strain distributions of tube were analyzed and the characteristics of the pushing process were discussed. SimplifiedExperiments were conducted according existing equipments. The feasibility of theprocess and the accuracy of simulations were verified.Through the study of necking, pushing and bulging, the methods ofmechanical integral forming of auto axle housing were obtained. Combinedexperiments and simulation, the characteristics of the process were analyzed;feasible process scheme was put forward, laying the foundation of new process forauto axle housing.