A Novel Method to Investigate the Principles of Impact Welding: Development and Enhancement of a Test Rig, Experimental and Numerical Results

Abstract

The two common processes of impact welding, explosion welding and electromagnetic pulse welding, may offer great technological advantages, but at the same time exhibit poor observability due to the use of explosives and a highly transient behavior, respectively. A novel test rig is developed and enhanced to collide and weld specimens purely mechanically. Besides its simple build-up and the easy and safe operation, the test rig allows setting crucial process parameters almost independently. The test rig’s construction and improvement is described. A trigger method for high speed imaging is developed and tested. The numerical simulation of the impact shows that the conditions directly at the welding zone are predictable and can be adjusted accurately. Finally, the preparation of specimens to evaluate the influence of surface roughness and grain structure is discussed.