Electromagnetic pulse spot welding of aluminum to stainless steel sheets with a field shaper

The objective of this work is to propose a magnetic pulse spot welding (MPSW) process with the aid of a field shaper for achieving the connecting of metal components. The magnetic field shaper that is placed between the metal components and an electromagnetic coil is used to concentrate the magnetic field around the weld zone and then enhance the generated Lorentz force acting on the metal components. The electromagnetic and structural parameters of the high-strength coil and field shaper have been well designed. Meanwhile, both numerical and experimental studies have been carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed welding system and better understand the welding behavior, in which the microstructure and tensile strength tests are also reported. Results have indicated that the developed MPSW process is well suited for the welding of AA1060 aluminum alloy to 304 stainless steel.