Effect of an aluminum driver sheet on the electromagnetic forming of DP780 steel sheet

Some experimental studies have proved that materials with low electrical conductivity and even nonconductive materials can be formed using driver sheets with high electrical conductivity. This study investigated the effect of an aluminum driver sheet on the forming peak height of advanced high-strength steel sheet (AHSS) in the electromagnetic forming (EMF) process. DP780 workpieces were formed into a hemi-elliptical protrusion shape, analogous to a reinforcement rib, with various thicknesses, sizes, and material types of the aluminum driver sheets. These experiments were performed with a flat spiral coil actuator connected to the EMF system with a high energy capacity. In addition, three-dimensional coupled electromagnetic-mechanical finite element (FE) simulations were conducted to analyze the effect of the aluminum driver sheet on the forming peak height of the high-strength steel sheets and to predict the proper configuration of the aluminum driver sheet.