Analytical and experimental analysis of electromagnetic crimping of AA 1050 tube with CFRP tube using spiral coil

Electromagnetic crimping of cylindrical components is an environmentally friendly, solid-state material joining process where a flyer metal tube makes a high-speed collision with a target material. Aluminum and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) are lightweight and possess a high strength-to-weight ratio along with strong mechanical properties. Joining these materials quickly and securely is crucial when producing lightweight constructions such as aviation components, automotive parts, and recreational products. Electromagnetic crimping of CFRP and aluminum tubes have been investigated due to the increased use of these dissimilar material joints. This study uses a novel combination of spiral coil and step-taper field shaper to induce the magnetic field. AA 1050 and CFRP tubes are crimped at different energies of 4.73, 5.50, and 6.34 kJ. All the joints are compared concerning different parameters such as the pull-out test, compression shear test, torsion test, cross-section analysis, characterization, microhardness, and leakproof test. This manuscript discusses the effect of different discharge energies along with coil and field shaper design improvements for the electromagnetic crimping process.