Electrically assisted forming

Efforts to reduce CO2-emissions of cars and aircrafts by lightweighting require materials with high strength-to-weight ratio. However, these materials are often inherently difficult to form due to limited ductility and high forming forces at room temperature. A possible approach to reduce the forming force and improve the formability is the use of electric current pulses during forming, leveraging the electroplastic effect (EPE). To study the influence of electric pulse length, height, and frequency on the formability of various light metal alloys and steels, we equipped a semi-industrial-scale hydraulic press with an electric system, measuring temperature, force-displacement curves and current density in a controlled manner. First results show a reduction in the required forming force as well as a higher degree of forming to fracture. However, possible microstructural changes still need to be investigated in addition to further optimization of the setup.