Antisymmetric deformation behavior during eccentric explosion electro-hydraulic sheet forming process

This study reports a counterintuitive antisymmetric deformation behavior during the electrohydraulic sheet-forming process, which is induced by the positional eccentricity of the electrical explosion. The novelty lies in the antisymmetry between the explosion eccentricity and the position of maximum deformation. When the explosion position is eccentric, the sheet metal becomes naturally eccentric; however, herein the position of maximum deformation was found to be far away from the position of the eccentric explosion, instead of being close to it. Herein, a series of simulations was performed to understand the dynamics involved in such behavior. It was found that the shockwave pressure and the inertial force of water medium are two dominant mechanisms for such an antisymmetric phenomenon. The former tends to accelerate the explosion-side sheet region, and the latter tends to accelerate the explosion-opposite-side sheet region. The much longer duration of the inertial force of water finally results in the observed antisymmetric phenomenon. The experimental results of the high-velocity deformation process obtained by using a high-speed camera confirmed the abovementioned findings. This study may aid in better understanding of the process dynamics in the eccentric explosion electrohydraulic forming, and may also help in the process and equipment design.