Joining of blanks with electrochemical support (ECUF)

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This research project investigates the cold pressure welding of similar and dissimilar metals by incremental forming and inline electrochemical surface activation. The project intends to identify and analyse the mechanisms of cold pressure welding in order to improve current cold welding processes in terms of process flexibility and joint strength. Joining with electrochemical support (EUCF) is a new process intended for the cold pressure welding of a broad range of metal pairs. Major innovations include the specified modification of the micro- and macroscopic surface structure, such as through inline activation of metallic and polymeric surfaces by means of electrochemical reactions (including oxide reduction and metal layer deposition). The course and result of the subsequent pressure welding pro-cess is supported by a special tool setup and an adapted incremental process control to ensure a sufficient bonding process, with locally restricted high deformation ratios. The pressure welding process will be realized by robotic actuators and an incremental process control to allow both partial and full joining of hybrid products/assemblies made up of various semi-finished parts. The proposal aims to achieve a deeper understanding of the micro- and macroscopic processes involved in electrochemical inline activation and the mechanical joint induced by incremental forming. Interdisciplinary basic research is pro-posed to address the interacting aspects of forming, electrochemistry and material science and attain the aspired result. A technological basis is to be created for the subsequent industrial use of joining by forming with electrochemical support for the case of sheet metal. This community application also promotes a universal knowledge gain for each of the participating groups within their field of research. Hence, each individual process step, such as mechanical or chemical preparation, the handling of the semi-finished parts and the joining process proper will be investigated in detail. Metallographic analysis will be performed, and this is necessary for carefully characterizing the resulting joint in terms of solid bonding, application performance and also strength and durability.