A Novel Method for Joining Steel/Al Tube Parts Based on Electromagnetic Force by Flat Coil

Abstract

Electromagnetic joining technology is an effective technique to join tubes with dissimilar materials. In this paper, a new approach for steel/Al tube parts joined by electromagnetic crimping using a flat coil was investigated. Electromagnetic crimping process experiments with different discharge energies (12, 14, and 16 kJ) and property tests were carried out. Meanwhile, the deformation characteristics of the outer tube under different discharging energies were discussed to study the fittability of the joining zone. The quality of the crimped joint was analyzed by microstructure characterization. The results show that the proposed approach was able to obtain torque joints and was potentially for tubular parts manufacturing. Moreover, higher discharging energy would result in better fittability degree and torque strength but might cause some cracks in the necking area. Combining the results of torsion tests with the microstructure observation, the comprehensive performance of the joint formed under a moderate discharge energy (14 kJ) was optimal.