Electrode Erosion Observed in Electrohydraulic Discharges Used in Pulsed Sheet Metal Forming

In this paper, we present results of electrode durability testing and electrode design in a pulsed electrohydraulic discharge environment. Pulsed electrohydraulic forming (EHF) is an electrodynamic process based upon high-voltage discharge of capacitors between two electrodes positioned in a fluid-filled chamber. EHF enables a more uniform distribution of strains, widens the formability window, and reduces elastic springback in the final part when compared to traditional sheet metal stamping. This extended formability allows the fabrication of panels of alternative high strength alloys that are otherwise difficult to make conventionally. It was found that, of the materials tested, steel electrodes not only survived the stresses encountered in the EHF chamber but also had lower erosion rates compared to molybdenum. Erosion rates were found to be constant for low carbon steel at 3.7 mm3/discharge, and they were high enough that the initial tip geometry was rapidly worn away and a more geometrically and thus electrically stable tip geometry had to be selected. Entrained air in the system had little influence on erosion rates but numerical modeling suggests that the erosion process takes place during the very initial stages of the pulse. Lastly, it was determined that the electrodes discussed in this paper can survive 2000 pulses.