High-speed joining of tubes to panel sheets using electro-hydraulic forming

This study presents a new method for high-speed joining of the sheet to the end of a tube without the need for any additional processes. Joining of the AA3105 sheets to the AA1170 tube is carried out with a thickness of 0.5 mm. The process is performed using electro-hydraulic forming which is a local deformation of the tube and sheet. In this method, the mechanical force is transmitted by working media in a very short time. The shock wave accelerates the panel sheet towards the die and tube to create a form-fit joint. To avoid friction between the mandrel and the flat sheet, the panel sheet is pre-drilled. The experimental tests were performed to show the effect of process parameters including washer housing angle, sheet hole diameter, and the gap between the mandrel and top of the sheet. In addition, the pull-out test is utilized to determine the strength of the joints in different conditions. Accordingly, the usage of electro-hydraulic forming on joining thin tubular parts to flat sheets was successful and the feasibility of this technique, as an advanced joining approach, was verified.