Macro-/Meso-Scaled Forming of Tubular Structures/Components

Macro-/meso-scaled tubular structures, as one kind of key high-performance and light-weight structural or functional components for loading carrying, heat and mass transfer with enormous quantities and diversities in geometrical characteristics and material types, have been widely used in many high-end equipments in various industrial fields such as aviation, aerospace,energy transportation and bio-technology. For satisfying the diversy demands of macro-/meso-scaled tubular structures/components in different industrial clusrters, many forming technologies have been developed based on the advanced design methods. This article systematically introduces the common deformation-based materials processing methods for fabrication of macro-/meso-scaled tubular materials including rolling, extrusion and drawing. Meanwhile, some typical forming methods for manufacturing of tubular components such as tube bending, tube joining and tube hydroforming are summarized. Finally, the trends and challenges in macro-/meso-scaled forming of tubular structures/components towards high-performance, light-weight, high-precision, environmental-friendly, and smart and extreme manufacturing are also discussed and elucidated.