Short-Term Material Characterization by Electrohydraulic Incremental Extrusion through Micro Channels

Abstract

Conventional testing procedures for characterizing the mechanical behavior of materials require intense preparation in geometry and in the handling of the samples to apply specific stress conditions. Furthermore, these procedures are time consuming. In a novel method for high-throughput development of new material, spherical and cylindrical micro samples should also be tested within a short time. For mechanical testing, the samples need to be exposed to specific types of stress. As most conventional testing procedures are not applicable, new testing procedures are demanded. The incremental electrohydraulic extrusion of micro samples through micro channels is a new testing procedure that was introduced for short-term material characterization. Loading energy is used to cause shock waves that incrementally push the samples through the forming die. The resulting deformation progress is measured between the forming steps. In this research, process simulations are used for channel design and material flow analysis. The designed channels that cause specific stress in samples are realized by stacking elements radially or axially. The stacking enables sample access for measurement and unloading and ensures good machinability of the forming channels. New testing cases for short-term characterization of cylindrical as well as spherical micro samples by electrohydraulic extrusion are presented according to monotone tensile, compression, and torsion testing. Furthermore, production-related testing and cyclic load testing are introduced by incremental electrohydraulic extrusion. By measuring the deformation due to the dependence on supplied energy, flow curve equivalents are determined that correspond to values from conventional material testing procedures.