Numerical simulation and experimental investigations on TA1 titanium alloy rivet in electromagnetic riveting

In this work, an electromagnetic-mechanical-thermal coupling numerical model was proposed and electromagnetic riveting (EMR) experiments were performed using Φ6 mm TA1 titanium alloy rivets. Experimental verification showed that the proposed model could be suitable for predicting the EMR process, and the corresponding relationships among magnetic pressures, deformations of rivet tails and discharge voltages were revealed. In addition, simulation results presented that most deformations occurred in the locally upsetting stage of rivet tail. The maximum temperature rise reached up to 426 °C within the shear deformation zone of rivet tail. The rivet tails with high speed deformations could bear 9.9 kN shear loads and 12.5 kN pull-out loads, respectively. The EMR joining structures with multi-layered sheets had very high interference-fit qualities, and the average relative interferences were 2.5-3.0% for as-received multi-layered structures. Consequently, the EMR process can be used for difficult-to-deformation material rivets under the high efficiency, high quality and ambient temperature.