from the conferences organized by TANGER Ltd.
A theoretical and experimental analysis of a heat induction bending process for tubes used in the power industry was performed. First, the design of the heat induction bending process for tubes is described and the industrial application areas for this technology are presented. The main methods for tube bending with local induction heating are discussed and the effect of the technology on geometrical parameters of the bends formed is presented. Next, using numerical techniques (FEM), the heat induction bending process for tubes is modelled. The simulations were performed in a three-dimensional strain state, with thermal phenomena included, using commercial software package Simufact Forming v. 11.0. In the computations, the variations of semi-finished product geometry in the region of a bend being made (cross section ovalisation, darkening and thickening of walls, neutral layer position) were examined. Also, the potential occurrence of phenomena that would limit the stability of the bending process and cause shape defects was predicted. The results obtained from the numerical modelling were then compared to the geometry of bends produced under industrial conditions.
Keywords: bending process, tube, FEM© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.