Finite Element Analysis and Experimental Study of Wall Thickness Change in Sinking Process of Thin-wall Aluminum Tubes

Thin-wall tubes used in aerospace application and heat exchangers are usually produced by tube drawing processes. In this study the effect of different parameters of tube sinking process such as die angle and the amount of reduction per pass on the wall thickness change of tubes were investigated theoretically. It was showed that finite element simulation can be used to estimate thickness change in tube sinking process. Tube sinking process was done for 9 passes and the results showed considerable wall thickness change when the tube diameter decreases to about 56 percent. This amount of increase in the thickness of the tube should be noticed in accurate design of heat exchangers and also in industrial scale tube production

Keywords:

Thin-wall Tube , Tube Sinking Process , Heat Exchanger , Aerospace , Multi-pass Drawing