Simulation-based analysis of geometry-dependent wall thickness distribution in corrugated pipes
Albrecht Hanny (1)*, Roland Wolfgang (2), Dirnberger Hannes (1), Fiebig Christian (3), Steinbichler Georg (4)
(1) Pro2Future - Upper Austria - Austria, (2) Pro2Future and IPEC JKU - Upper Austria - Austria, (3) Unicor GmbH - Bavaria - Germany, (4) IPEC JKU - Upper Austria - Austria
Corrugated pipes are a widely used for drainage pipes, automotive applications, and in medical engineering. In
contrast to normal pipes, corrugated pipes exhibit higher stiffness and simultaneously higher flexibility by less material
demand. Due to rising commodity prices and the plastic usage debate, it is of great interest to produce corrugated pipes
with high quality and low material input. One major factor to manipulate the wall thickness distribution is to adapt the mold
geometry. This research investigates the wall thickness distribution depending on the mold geometry. Therefor, we carried
out a comprehensive parametric design study with a vast number of 2D-axisymmetric Finite Element Method (FEM) blowmolding simulations. All independent geometry parameters and the initial fluid parison thickness were varied within a wide
range. Based on the data set derived by the parametric design study, we analyzed the relationships between the mold
geometry and the wall thickness distribution. These key findings are crucial for the mold and pipe design with respect to
optimized wall thickness distribution. In the next step, these data will be validated by experiments on a corrugated pipe
plant with different molds. Moreover, an extensive multi-dimensional regression model describing the wall thickness
distribution as a function of the mold geometry is planned.