• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.222-227
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• 2017

In order to respond to environmental regulations and increased demand for fuel economy, the demand for lightweight car bodies has grown. Hydroforming of aluminum is one possible solution as it eliminates the need for additional welding to develop closed cross-sectional parts. However, the low formability of aluminum is a limitation of its application. On the other hand, the ductility of materials can be improved at higher temperatures, and hot metal gas forming has been widely applied in the production of lightweight vehicle parts. In this study, aluminum alloy for pipe extrusion was developed by controlling the Mg:Cr:Mn ratio based on AA5083. Mechanical properties of the developed material were examined by tensile test and were applied to a forming simulation. Cold forming simulation for preforming and non-isothermal hot forming simulation for hot metal gas forming were carried out to validate process conditions. A prototype of the sidemember was manufactured under the given process condition. Finally, thickness distribution was compared with finite element analysis results.