Experimental Investigation of Radius of Curvature in the Laser Forming Process of Tubes

In this work, the laser forming process for the fabrication of curved tubes from straight tubes is studied by experimental tests. For this purpose, parallel heating lines are irradiated on a straight tube which leads to the fabrication of a curved tube. Also, the effects of laser output power, laser scanning speed, laser beam diameter, and number of irradiation lines on the radius of curvature of laser-formed tubes are investigated. The results show that the proposed pattern is suitable for the fabrication of a curved tube from a straight tube by laser irradiation. Also, it is concluded from the results that the radius of curvature of the laser-formed tube decreases with the increase of laser output power. It is shown from the results that the radius of curvature of the laser-formed tube increases with the increase in laser scanning speed and laser beam diameter. It is proved that by increasing the number of irradiation lines, the radius of curvature of the formed tube is reduced.