A method to improve forming accuracy in electromagnetic forming of sheet metal

Abstract

Low forming accuracy is the main defects in electromagnetic forming process of sheet metal. One of the main reasons is that shapes of the coil and required workpiece are cylindrical and deep concave respectively. The distance between the coil and the side wall of deformed sheet metal is too far in forming process, which leads to a consequence that electromagnetic force in the side wall is not enough. To solve this problem, a solenoid field shaper was introduced to enhance the electromagnetic force at the side wall, and then improve forming accuracy of electromagnetic forming of sheet metal. To verify the effectiveness of the method, a series of simulations based on circuit-electromagnetic-structure were finished. The results showed that the maximum electromagnetic force with field shaper increased more than 10 times at the side wall. And the maximum deformation was 1.18 mm which can improve forming accuracy effectively. The presented method and results can be helpful in designing electromagnetic forming systems of sheet metal.