Patent ID: 7685856
Filing Date: 2010-03-30
Classification: B21D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. Hydroforming apparatus for hydroforming a tube having a bore and an end face into the die cavity of hydroforming dies, comprising: a nozzle housing having a tapered surface adapted to sealingly engage with the tube by press fit of the tapered surface into the bore of the tube and a radial shoulder for engagement with the end face of the tube so that the end of the tube can be axially fed into the hydroforming dies during hydroforming of the tube; a seal actuator slidable inside the nozzle housing; an elastomeric O-ring seal captured between ramp surfaces of the nozzle housing and the seal actuator so that sliding movement of the seal actuator will expand or contract the O-ring seal; a nozzle piston for sliding the seal actuator to expand the O-ring seal into sealing engagement with the bore of the tube during the initial build up of fluid pressure in the tube and during the forcing of the tube into hydroforming dies during closure of the dies, and for sliding the seal actuator to contract the O-ring seal away from sealing engagement with the bore of the tube during the build up of hydroforming pressure inside the tube; a feed piston for forcibly advancing the nozzle housing into the tube to axially feed the tube into the dies; and a positioning piston for quickly advancing the feed piston to thereby quickly insert the nozzle housing into position inside the bore of the tube.