Incremental magnetic pulse welding of dissimilar sheet metal

Magnetic pulse welding is a solid state welding process using pulsed magnetic fields resulting from a sudden discharge of a capacitor battery through a tool coil in order to cause a high-speed collision of two metallic components, thus producing an impact-welded joint. The joint is formed at room temperature. Consequently, temperature-induced problems are avoided and this technology enables the use of material combinations, which are usually considered to be non-weldable. The extension of the typically linear weld seam can easily reach several hundred millimetres in length, but only a few millimetres in width. If a larger connected area is required, incremental or sequential magnetic pulse welding is a promising alternative. Here, the inductor is moved relative to the joining partners after the first weld sequence and then another welding process is initiated. Thus, the welded area is extended gradually by arranging multiple adjacent weld seams. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of incremental magnetic pulse welding. Furthermore, the influence of important process parameters on the component quality is investigated and evaluated in terms of geometry and micrographic analysis. Moreover, the suitability of different mechanical testing methods is discussed for determining the strength of the individual weld seams.