Magnetic Pulse Welding of Sheets – Process Modelling

Abstract

Magnetic pulse welding involves the application of a controlled electromagnetic impulse and consequent high velocity impact between two overlapped parts, which leads to plastic deformation and consolidation between the parts along the interface without melting. The key variables in magnetic pulse welding include a high magnitude discharge energy of damped sinusoidal nature, the coil type and geometry and the materials, thicknesses and geometry of the overlapped metallic sheets. A computer-based coupled electromagnetic and dynamic mechanical analysis of magnetic pulse welding of sheets is presented in this work to provide an insightful understanding of the evolution of joints, which is otherwise intractable for monitoring due to the high speed of the process and the presence of a high electromagnetic field. The computed results show that such a computational process model can serve as a robust design tool for a fundamental understanding as well as for the identification of suitable conditions for achieving a defect-free, reliable joint.