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Tube hydroforming (THF) experiments were performed on TP2 copper tubes under different loading velocities and fluid velocities using a self-developed measurement system to investigate dynamic frictional characteristics in the guiding zone. The results show that the coefficient of friction (COF) dynamically changes during forming experiments and decreases with tube deformation. The average descending rate and amplitude of the COF increase with increasing loading velocity. Microscopically, the micro-protrusions on the tubular surface are flattened, and the surface scratches are finer and more uniform, as the loading velocity increases, resulting in a decrease in COF. At the same external loading velocity, the COF increases with increasing fluid velocity and is also extremely sensitive to it. Moreover, improving and predicting the formability of such tubes by accurately adjusting and controlling fluid velocity in THF is valuable and critical for the future.

Loading path plays a dominant role in tube hydroforming (THF), and the pulsating loading path has been reported capable of improving the formability of a tube in hydrobulging with axial feeding. As a new THF process, the tube hydroforming with radial crushing (THFRC) is receiving increasing attention; however, knowledge on the process still remains insufficient to extend its application to various other fields. In this study, the experiments of THFRC under both the pulsating and the linear hydraulic pressures were carried out to investigate the deformation behavior. The influences of the amplitude and the frequency of the pulsating hydraulic pressure on the shape precision, wall thickness, and the microstructures of the deformed parts were analyzed. Subsequently, metallographic examinations of the deformed specimens were conducted in an attempt to clarify the relationship between the microstructural evolution and deformation behavior. The mechanism of formability improvement in THFRC by the pulsating hydraulic pressure was explored from the perspective of microstructure. Compared with the linear hydraulic pressure, the pulsating hydraulic pressure could generate a higher shape precision, a more uniform wall thickness, as well as less martensites, and larger grain. The microstructural evolution induced by the pulsating loading path is supposed to contribute to the formability improvement of SUS304 stainless steel tubes.