Springback and deformation uniformity of high-strength aluminum alloy sheet using electromagnetic forming

High-strength aluminum alloy has been widely used in aerospace and other industries. In the traditional bending process, a large springback occurs for high-strength aluminum alloy sheet due to its higher yield strength and lower elastic modulus. In the past, many scholars found that electromagnetic forming (EMF) can significantly reduce the springback effect. However, the electromagnetic-assisted bending and low-yield-strength aluminum alloy were used in the past researches. If the electromagnetic force is used to bend the high-strength aluminum alloy, what is the different of plastic deformation laws and springback effect both in electromagnetic forming and traditional bending? Those are the research interest of this paper. Thus, we have studied the influence of electromagnetic direct forming, electromagnetic drive forming, and traditional stamping on deformation uniformity and springback of high-strength aluminum alloy sheets. The deformation and stress distribution were analyzed by numerical simulations. The accuracy of the simulation was verified by experimental results. The results reveal that both electromagnetic direct forming and traditional stamping endow a large springback effect. It must also be mentioned that the high-strength aluminum alloy sheet dented on the center after electromagnetic direct forming, which reduces the sheet deformation uniformity. However, a small springback occurs on sheets due to small residual stress and the final deformed sheet has a smooth profile by electromagnetic drive forming. Thus, the electromagnetic drive forming is an effective mean to reduce springback and enhance deformation uniformity for high-strength aluminum alloy sheets.