Numerical modelling of electrohydraulic forming

高强度钢和低密度材料在乘用车中的使用越来越多，这给将其制成车身和底盘部件的制造商带来了重大挑战。当使用传统的成形工艺如冲压和液压成形时，这些轻质材料的有限的可成形性导致制造成本增加和设计灵活性降低。因此，正在探索更先进的成形工艺。 这些先进成形工艺中最有前途的一种是电液成形（EHF），其包括在浸没在流体中的两个电极之间释放高压电流，并使用流体中的压力波以非常高的应变率抵靠模具形成金属板坯料。EHF是有吸引力的，因为它是非常快的，可以与任何类型的板材（钢或铝）使用，并显着降低模具成本相比，使用配套模具的传统工艺。此外，初步研究表明，在EHF中，钢和铝的可成形性可以增加两倍或更多。 本研究计划的主要目标是（a）开发能够准确预测电液脉冲形成的板的行为的模型，以及（B）将这些模型实现为可用于模拟EHF过程的数值程序。 这项研究将为四个高素质的人才提供培训，在一个国家的最先进的成型技术。这项研究计划将产生新的知识和先进的建模能力。最终，加拿大汽车行业采用EHF将有助于促进使用更高强度和更低密度的材料，这也将有助于减少车辆重量和碳排放。

The increasing use of high strength steels and lower density materials in passenger vehicles has created significant challenges for manufacturers who form them into body and chassis components. The limited formability of these lightweight materials has led to increased manufacturing costs and decreased design flexibility, when conventional forming processes such as stamping and hydroforming are utilized. Consequently, more advanced forming processes are being explored. One of the most promising of these advanced forming processes is electrohydraulic forming (EHF), which consists of discharging a high voltage current between two electrodes submerged in a fluid, and using the pressure wave in the fluid to form a sheet metal blank against a die at very high strain rates. EHF is attractive because it is extremely fast, can be used with any type of sheet material (steel or aluminum), and significantly reduces tooling costs compared to conventional processes that use mating dies. Furthermore, preliminary research has shown that, in EHF, the formability of steel and aluminum can increase by a factor of two or more. The main objectives of this research program are (a) to develop models that are able to accurately predict the behaviour of sheets that are formed with an electrohydraulic pulse, and (b) to implement these models into numerical programs that can be used to simulate EHF processes. This research will provide training for four highly qualified personnel in a state-of-the-art forming technology. This research program will generate new knowledge and advanced modelling capabilities. Ultimately, the adoption of EHF by the automotive industry in Canada will help to promote the use of higher strength and lower density materials, which will also help decrease vehicle weight and carbon emissions.