Numerical and Experimental Validation for Prediction of Failure in Electromagnetic Forming of AA6061 Sheet

Abstract

Electromagnetic forming is a high strain rate and high-speed forming process. This manuscript uses an electromagnetic forming technique to predict the failure zone in forming AA 6061. Concerning the die, entry radius is made using the experimental and simulation approach. Simulations performed to free-formed dome height test of AA 6061 of 1 mm thickness with dimension 200 mm × 200 mm in commercially available computational Finite Element Method (FEM) software. The FEM software utilized for the purpose is the LS-Dyna EM module specially designed for EMF application and uses a robust coupling method. In the experimental result, shear failure of the blank occurs at the dome's base, similar to the simulation result. The failure occurs due to the extreme shear stress generated between the blank and die cavity opening. Intense pressure and the relatively sharp edge of the die entry radius contribute to excessive shear stress in the region. An increase in the discharge energy causes the shearing of the blank at the bottom of the dome. © 2022, The Indian Institute of Metals - IIM.