A new method to produce T-shaped tubular fittings with experimental and simulation results

PLoS One. 2019 Apr 8;14(4):e0214608. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214608. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

A tube is an important structural element for fluid manipulation in piped networks in many industries. Tube branching is achieved using tube fittings of various shapes, including T, Y, X, and L shapes. This study proposes a new innovative technique to produce T-shaped tubular fittings. The technique uses a specially designed die setup where a tube is placed inside a T-shaped die cavity and a metallic insert is used to deform the tube into the cavity, creating the T-fitting shape. Experimental and numerical methods are used to evaluate the process. The main outcome of this research is the successful creation of T-shaped copper tube fittings using a technique similar to tube hydroforming without the need for internal pressure. This technique could be modified to assist the production of T-fittings with thicknesses outside the hydroforming limits.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Computer Simulation*
  • Computer-Aided Design
  • Elastic Modulus
  • Finite Element Analysis
  • Models, Theoretical*

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University funding this work through research group no (RG- 1439-008). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.