Thermal Response Characterization of Sheet Metals During Electrically-Assisted Forming (EAF)

For the current practice of lightweight engineering in the automotive sector, it is common to introduce and use low density/high strength materials instead of costly engine/drivetrain technologies. With the introduction of these materials there are commonly many manufacturing difficulties which arise during their incorporation to the vehicle. As a result, new processes which improve the manufacturability of these materials are necessary. This work examines the manufacturing technique of Electrically-Assisted Forming (EAF) where an electrical current is applied to the workpiece during deformation. As a result of the applied current, Joule heating is present which increases the temperature of the material. In this work the thermal response of sheet metal for stationary and deformation tests using this process are explored and modeled. The results of the model show good agreement for the stationary tests while the deformation model predicts that all of the applied electrical current may not be transformed into Joule heating. Thus, this work suggests from the observed response that a portion of the applied current may be directly aiding in deformation (i.e. the Electroplastic Effect).