Investigation of Electromagnetic Force Distribution and Forming Performance in Copper Tube Electromagnetic Flanging Using a Triangular Magnetic Field Shaper

To overcome the challenges of low axial electromagnetic force and limited flanging capability in traditional tube electromagnetic flanging, this paper proposes a new method using a triangular magnetic field shaper. In this regard, a comparative model of copper tube electromagnetic flanging based on both conventional coils and triangular magnetic field shapers was developed using COMSOL software. The effects of structural parameters of the drive coils and magnetic field shapers on the electromagnetic force distribution and forming performance of tube fittings were systematically investigated. Under identical initial energy storage conditions, the flanging performance of the proposed method was compared with that of conventional flanging techniques. The results indicate that, for a given discharge voltage, optimal flanging can be achieved by appropriately selecting the number of coil turns and layers, as well as the height and width of the magnetic field shaper. Furthermore, compared to traditional methods, the triangular field shaper significantly enhances the axial electromagnetic force, improves the uniformity of the magnetic field distribution, and enables the copper tube to achieve a flanging angle of up to 90°. In contrast, conventional electromagnetic flanging methods, under the same voltage, can only reach a maximum flanging angle of approximately 48.5°. This new copper tube electromagnetic flanging approach effectively addresses the limitations of traditional methods and offers promising insights for the industrial application of electromagnetic forming technologies.