Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering (2019) 44:1129–1136

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-018-3430-9

RESEARCH ARTICLE - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Predicting the Effect of Field Shaper in Electromagnetic Welding Using

FEM
Mohammed Rajik Khan1 · Md. Mosarraf Hossain1 · Archana Sharma2 · Satendra Kumar2

Received: 30 October 2017 / Accepted: 1 July 2018 / Published online: 10 July 2018
© King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals 2018

Abstract
The research work presents a 3D numerical simulation to predict the distribution of magnetic field and pressure in the desired
region of the tubular jobs using coils with and without field shapers in electromagnetic welding (EMW). For finite element
(FE) simulation, single-turn (ST) and multi-turn (MT) (disk type) coils are considered to analyze the effects of field shapers
with varying material combinations in ANSYS MAXWELL environment. The change in magnetic field distribution on the
outer peripheral region of the flyer tube along axial direction with and without field shaper is graphically shown and compared.
Also, variation of magnetic pressure on the flyer tube with respect to increasing voltage and time is compared individually for
various material combinations of ST/MT coil and field shaper. Results show that in welding simulation (FE) using single-turn
Cu and SS coils with field shapers of Be, Nb and Ta, the magnetic pressure increases by 34, 12 and 11% and 35, 12 and
11%, respectively, as compared to the coil with no field shaper. In case of multi-turn SS coil with Cu and Be field shapers,
the magnetic pressure increases by 16 and 10%, respectively. The novelty of the work is the proper guideline to select the
material combinations for ST/MT coils and field shapers and positioning of work pieces inside the coil in order to achieve
maximum utilization of input energy in EMW system.

Keywords Single-turn coil · Multi-turn disk type coil · Field shaper · Electromagnetic model · 3D numerical simulation ·
Magnetic field/pressure

1 Introduction energy source which accelerates and collides two different

metals at very high velocities resulting in the breakage of
Electromagnetic welding (EMW) is one of the most widely oxidized layer. One of the most important features of this
used methods for joining of similar or dissimilar materials. particular welding process is the non-contact nature between
Being a solid-state welding process, it finds extensive appli- the two metals initially resulting in a strong weld interface
cations in the joining of lightweight materials (aluminum, having a higher surface finish in comparison with traditional
stainless steel, etc.) used in various industries (automotive, welding processes. It efficiently produces high strength joints
aerospace, etc.). This welding process uses a capacitive and can be specifically used for a less ductile material.
An electromagnetic welding unit comprises of power sup-
B Mohammed Rajik Khan ply, capacitor bank, coil, field shaper, and work pieces.
[email protected] Among these, coil design is one of the most critical aspects
Md. Mosarraf Hossain in EMW process. It is responsible for producing high mag-
[email protected] netic field around the work piece in a closed proximity [1].
Archana Sharma A variety of coils can be used for various applications of
[email protected] EMW. Flat, square, circular, etc. are few designs known for
Satendra Kumar welding various shapes of components [2–4]. One of the
[email protected] major drawbacks in coil design is the non-even distribution
of magnetic field and pressure across the desired region of the
1 Department of Industrial Design, National Institute of work piece [5]. A field shaper is also an important tool used
Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, Odisha, India
to concentrate the generated magnetic field, thus producing
2 Accelerator and Pulse Power Division, Bhabha Atomic high magnetic pressure on the desired surface of the work
Research Center, Mumbai 400085, India

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Fig. 1 Cross-sectional views of the assembled coil, field shaper and work pieces in case of a ST coil and b MT coil: (1) coil; (2) field shaper; (3)
flyer tube; (4) inner solid plug
piece. It can be manufactured more economically and easily be utilized to design an effective field shaper for single/multi-
in comparison to a special coil. In electromagnetic forming, turn coils with improved efficiency prior to experimentation
the work piece’s shape can be approximately predicted by which involves high cost production setup and materials in
the shape of a field shaper and the energy released during the EMW of tubular jobs.
process [6]. Field shaper increases the flexibility of an EMW
process by increasing the coil’s life, controlling the shape of
the work piece and easing the batch production [7]. The only
2 FEA Model of Electromagnetic Pressure in
concern is the efficiency reduction in EMW system, due to
EMW
energy dissipation in field shaper [8].
As far as we know, very few studies have been done to
An electromagnetic model is established for EMW simula-
investigate the influence of field shapers on the rise and
tion using ANSYS MAXWELL 3D software. The system
distribution of magnetic field and pressure in EMW. Also,
model consists of an outer tube, inner solid plug, electro-
no research has been done in the past to study the combi-
magnetic welding coil and air region. Figure 1 shows the
nation of coils with different field shaper materials on the
cross-sectional views of the assembled coil, field shaper and
magnetic field in EMW. In the authors’ previous work [9],
work pieces. The geometric parameters of single-turn coil are
FE simulation has been done to investigate the spreading of
width (l), inner diameter (D1 ) and outer diameter (D2 ) of the
electromagnetic force and magnetic field in electromagnetic
coil, width (H2 ), landing length (H1 ), inner diameter (d1 ),
welding of tubular jobs employing single-turn circular coil
outer diameter (d2 ) and taper angle (θ ) of the field shaper,
without field shaper. For the compression joining of flyer tube
inner diameter (d) and outer diameter (D) of the outer tube
(Al6061) and target tube (SS304), FE simulation results are
and outer diameters (D  and d  ) at respective ends of the
presented to predict the effect of changing process parame-
solid plug. For multi-turn disk type coil, additional param-
ters like air gap between the outer tube and the coil, standoff
eters required are thickness of the disk () and insulation
distance and tube thickness with varying input voltage. The
(h). Tables 1, 2 and 3 gives the dimensional parameters of
present study aims to show the development and distribution
the coils, field shapers and work pieces, respectively.
of magnetic field and pressure on the outer peripheral region
of a tubular work piece using EMW coils with and with-
out field shapers. A three-dimensional finite element model 2.1 Electromagnetic Model
is developed to simulate the transient electromagnetic field
phenomenon in ANSYS MAXWELL 3D. Materials consid-  [10] has been used as a
Here, magnetic vector potential A
ered for single and multi-turn coils are Cu and SS along with system variable such that,
the field shaper materials as Cu, Be, Ta and Nb. Simulation
results are graphically depicted for the distribution and devi- ∇ ×A =B (1)
ation of magnetic field and pressure on the peripheral region

∇ ·A = 0 (2)
of the flyer tube with varying distance along the axial direc-

tion, voltage and time. The presented simulation results can  = − ∂A
E (3)
∂t

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Table 1 Dimensional
Coil D1 (mm) D2 (mm) l (mm)  (mm) h (mm) No. of turns
parameters of coils
Single-turn 25.7 75.5 17 – – 1
Multi-turn 25.7 200 15.75 3 1.25 4

Table 2 Dimensional
Field shaper d1 (mm) d2 (mm) H1 (mm) H2 (mm) θ
parameters of field shapers
With single-turn coil 7.5 25.5 17 10 45◦
With multi-turn coil 7.5 25.5 16 10 45◦

where B, t and E  are the magnetic flux density (T), time (s) Table 3 Dimensional parameters of work pieces
and electric intensity, respectively. The following equation Work pieces D (mm) d (mm) D  (mm) d  (mm)
is obtained for the tube area by substituting electromagnetic
field’s constitutive equations (1–3), into Maxwell’s equation Outer tube 6.5 5.5 – –
[10]. Inner solid plug – – 5.4 3.65

  
∇×
1  = −γ ∂ A
∇ ×A (4)
μ ∂t
work pieces and air region, respectively. A finer mesh size
  is used on the outer surface of the flyer tube to consider the

where μ, γ and γ ∂∂tA denotes the magnetic permeability skin effect and to achieve a more consistent result. For our
(H/m) and conductivity (S/m) of the medium and the cur- simulations, a capacitance of 108 µF has been considered.
rent density (A/m2 ), respectively. The magnetic force per
unit volume (also known as magnetic force density) f can be 2.2 Materials and Boundary Conditions
easily calculated by the following Maxwell’s equation [10],
  The transient simulation is established on the following prop-
 = 1 ∇ ×B
f = J × B  ×B
 (5) erties of the material:
μ
(a) Relative permeability The determination of the magnetic
where J denotes the coil current density (A/m2 ) and B  sig-
field solution is largely based on this property. The mate-
nifies magnetic flux density (T). The magnetic force can be rials’ magnetic property can be determined by relative
achieved by substituting Eqs. (1) and (4) into Eq. (5). permeability (μr ) and magnetic coercivity. Here, relative
In this analysis, complete 3D electromagnetic model is permeability is considered linear [12].
considered both for the single-turn and multi-turn (disk type) (b) Bulk conductivity The distribution of current in a current
coils with the following hypotheses [11]: carrying conductor can be determined by this property.
It also helps to determine the induced eddy current as a
(a) The distribution of the coil current is uniform across the result of magnetic field. Bulk conductivity is considered
cross section; simple [12] and does not affect the magnetic part of the
(b) The materials’ conductance and permeability are isotro- analysis.
pic and constant; (c) Magnetic coercivity This property helps in defining the
(c) The magnitude of displacement current is negligible. permanent magnetization occurring in magnetic materi-
als. For the present case, the value assigned is zero [12].
Tetrahedral cells have been used as a mesh element for
both solid components and air regions. The mesh element has The material properties of coil, field shaper, open space
been kept same for the whole solid part to enable easy trans- and tube materials considered in transient simulation are
ferring of magnetic forces on nodes. The finite element mesh listed in Table 4. The magnetic transient solver is used to
for the electromagnetic model of ST coil consists of 43,110, compute instantaneous magnetic field for a total time dura-
45,598 and 93,827 elements, respectively, for working coil, tion of 15 µs with a step size of 1 µs each. In 3D simulation,
work pieces and air region. The mesh elements in model of the magnetic field behavior at the edges/interfaces of the
MT coil are 61,313, 78,875 and 335,483 for working coil, problem region can be defined by assigning the boundary

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Table 4 Material properties

Material Density (kg/m3 ) Relative permeability Bulk conductivity (S/m)
used in FEA model
Coil Copper 8933 1 580 × 105
SS304 7873 1 235 × 105
Field shaper Beryllium 1848 1 250 × 105
Niobium 8570 1 67 × 105
Tantalum 16,400 1 63 × 105
Air gap – 1 –
Tube Aluminum 2689 1 38 × 106

Fig. 2 Magnetic field distribution around the outer tube (Al) in ST Cu coil a with field shaper (Be) and b without field shaper

conditions at its faces. For this analysis, two types of bound-

ary conditions are considered:

(a) Natural boundary The surface of the objects which are

enforced internally is assigned by this boundary. When-
ever there is an abrupt change in material properties,
this boundary condition replicates the specific form of
Maxwell’s equations at the interface among the objects.
The normal component of B (magnetic field) is continu-
ous, and D (electric displacement field) has a jump equal
to the superficial charge density [12].
(b) Neumann boundary It is applied to the external bound-
aries of the problem region. The normal component of
the current intensity (H ) field is considered zero in case
of a homogeneous Neumann boundary condition [12].

Fig. 3 Magnetic field distribution around the outer tube (Al) along axial
direction in a ST coil (Cu) with and without field shaper (Be)

3 Simulation Results and Discussion

The magnetic field distribution around the outer tube (Al) of shows that the magnitude of magnetic field while using field
the work pieces (Al–SS) in ST coil (Cu) with field shaper shaper have higher values with uniform distribution at cor-
(Be) and without field shaper are shown in Fig. 2. It clearly responding nodes in comparison to the condition without

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distribution over the specific (desired) region. This may be

due to the fact that our designed shape of the ST coil with
no field shaper [9] toward the welding zone is similar to the
shape of a field shaper, providing the tapered angle prefer-
ably as 45◦ [13]. Hence, to gain higher impact velocity of the
outer tube, concentration of magnetic field can be achieved
at its initial end while aligning/positioning its end at 1 mm
toward the field shaper inside the coil. The effect of change
in voltage on the magnetic pressure distribution is shown
graphically in Fig. 4. There is a gradual increase in magnetic
pressure with an increase in voltage. The graph encapsulates
the effect of different coil and field shaper material combina-
tions on the change in pressure. As seen in Fig. 4, the highest
value of magnetic pressure can be obtained when copper coil
is used with a beryllium field shaper. However, a combina-
tion of stainless steel coil with a tantalum field shaper gives
Fig. 4 Magnetic pressure distribution on the outer tube (Al) with
increasing voltage considering various material combinations of ST the lowest value of magnetic pressure at the corresponding
coil and field shaper voltage. On calculating and comparing the values of mag-
netic pressure, it was revealed that in the case of Cu coil,
the pressure increases by 34, 12 and 11% respectively when
combined with Be, Nb and Ta field shapers than without it.
In case of SS coil, the pressure increases by 35, 12 and 11%
when combined with Be, Nb and Ta field shapers, respec-
tively, than with a bare SS coil. Figure 5 shows the change in
magnetic pressure with respect to the change in time in case
of an ST coil. It was found that first the magnetic pressure
goes on increasing with increase in time, at approximately
8 µs, the pressure attains the peak value and then it starts to
fall with an increase in time.
The magnetic field distribution around the outer tube (Al)
in MT coils with and without field shaper are shown in
Fig. 6. A magnetic field of the maximum magnitude 36.9
and 34.48 T was obtained with and without field shaper,
respectively. Figure 7 represents the quantitative compari-
son of magnetic field distribution along the axial direction of
outer tube with and without field shaper in case of a multi-
Fig. 5 Variation in magnetic pressure on outer tube (Al) with time
considering various material combinations of ST coil and field shaper
turn coil. The figure shows an effective length of the coil
from 0 to 15.75 mm, while the landing length is from 0 to
10 mm. The magnetic field distribution along the axial direc-
tion of the outer tube increases from 26.8 T at 0 mm to 35.8
field shaper. A magnetic field having a maximum magnitude T at 1 mm in case of a field shaper whereas it increases from
of 31.96 and 27.97 T was obtained with and without field 24.4 T at 0 mm to 34 T at 6 mm without the field shaper. For
shaper, respectively, for the same node. A graph of magnetic axial distance from 1 to 10 mm, the magnetic field remains
field distribution around the outer tube (Al) in axial direc- relatively constant in case of a field shaper at approximately
tion has been shown in Fig. 3 so as to make a quantitative 36 T, while in case when there is no field shaper, it follows a
comparison between the two conditions for a ST coil (Cu). non-uniform curve. Beyond 10 mm, i.e., from 10 to 15 mm,
The figure clearly shows that there is an increase in mag- the magnetic field falls drastically. Its magnitude decreases
netic flux density [from 27.1 T at 0 mm to 31.8 T at 1 mm to 9.24 and 19.05 T at the end of the outer tube in case of
in case of a field shaper (Be) and 25.4 T at 0 mm to 27.1 with and without field shaper, respectively. Hence, it can be
T at 3 mm without field shaper] at the desired region. The concluded that there is a considerable increment in magnetic
magnetic field at the end of the outer tube in case of a field field distribution at the desired region in case of a coil using
shaper (Be) is less than in case without field shaper. How- field shaper. The effect of change in voltage on the magnetic
ever, there is less change in the uniformity of magnetic field pressure distribution is shown graphically in Fig. 8. There

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Fig. 6 Magnetic field distribution around the outer tube (Al) in MT coil: a with field shaper (Cu) and b without field shaper

Fig. 7 Magnetic field distribution around the outer tube (Al) along axial
direction in a multi-turn coil (SS) with and without field shaper (Cu) Fig. 8 Variation in magnetic pressure with voltage considering different
material combinations of MT coil and field shaper

4 Validation
is a gradual increase in magnetic pressure with an increase
in voltage. The graph depicts the change in pressure with No previous work has been done to compare the effect
change in coil and field shaper materials. The highest value of employing various field shaper and coil material com-
of magnetic pressure can be achieved with a combination of binations on rise of magnetic pressure in electromagnetic
SS coil and Cu field shaper. On calculating and comparing welding. Although the study showing the effect of various
the magnitude of magnetic pressure, we find that in case of field shaper on magnetic pressure in electromagnetic form-
SS coil, it increases by 16 and 10% when combined with Cu ing has been done in the past [14]. In our 3D simulation, the
and Be field shaper, respectively, than with a bare SS coil. estimated results of the use of field shaper on magnetic field
Figure 9 shows the change in magnetic pressure with respect distribution along the axial direction of the outer tube (Figs. 3,
to time in case of a MT coil. The graph follows a similar 9) are in sensible agreement with the results obtained by Bah-
path as was in the case of the ST coil. At approximately 4 µs, mani et al. [14] (Fig. 10). Though the conditions and systems
the magnetic pressure reaches a maximum value and then it for both the results are different, a close uniformity in the pro-
starts to fall with a rise in time. files of the curves can be seen and this shows the effects of the

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5 Conclusions

Electromagnetic welding (EMW) is an efficient and powerful

high-speed welding technique having benefits like produc-
tivity, good surface finish and high dimensional accuracy.
The 3D numerical simulation of the rise and distribution of
magnetic pressure in EMW with and without field shaper
has been performed. Both single-turn and multi-turn (disk
type) coils had been used for this simulation. As revealed
by the results, an increased and an even distribution of mag-
netic pressure was found in the case of field shapers. In case
of ST Cu coil, the pressure increases by 34, 12 and 11%
when combined with Be, Nb and Ta field shapers, respec-
tively. In case of ST SS coil, the pressure increases by 35, 12
and 11% when combined with Be, Nb and Ta field shapers,
respectively. When SS MT coil is combined with Cu and
Fig. 9 Variation in magnetic pressure on outer tube (Al) with time Be field shapers, the magnetic pressure increases by 16 and
considering various material combinations of MT coil and field shaper 9%, respectively. There is a variation in the magnetic pres-
sure when different materials have been used for both field
shaper and coil. The present simulation helps to predict the
optimum process parameters for performing electromagnetic
welding having different coil geometry and material combi-
nations effectively. Use of field shaper uniformly distributes
the magnetic field over the desired work region and hence
increases the coil life. Also, the positioning of work pieces
inside the field shaper helps to achieve maximum utiliza-
tion of input energy and this can be easily estimated by the
present simulation. Further, 3D FE simulation in closed cou-
pling approach can be conducted to predict the weldability
window, for different coil geometry and material combina-
tions. Again, the current frequency range can be optimized to
redesign the coil and optimize the process parameters (volt-
age, capacitance, etc.) for specific technical conditions.

Acknowledgements The work was supported by the Advanced Tech-

nology Committee of BRNS Mumbai, India [Grant Number 2015013407-
RP00729-BRNS].

Fig. 10 Magnetic field distribution around the work piece in axial

direction for a solenoid coil with and without field shaper in 3D elec-
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