Optimization of magnetic circuit in electro-controlled permanent magnet blank holder process with magnetorheological elastomers and analysis of its impact on deep drawing

• Published in: Materials today communications Vol. 40; p. 110089
• Main Authors: Meng, Linyuan, Bao, Chunpeng, Liu, Zhicheng, Qin, Siji, Dong, Qifeng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-08-2024
• Subjects: Blank-holder gap; Electro-permanent magnet; Magnetorheological elastomer; PSO-BP-GA; Sheet metal forming; PSO-BP-GA; Sheet metal forming; Electro-permanent magnet; Blank-holder gap; Magnetorheological elastomer
• ISSN: 2352-4928; 2352-4928
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2024.110089

Addressing the issue of blank holder force (BHF) attenuation caused by the blank-holder gap in the EPMBH process, this study proposes a solution: employing magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) as a magnetic medium to fill these gaps, thus constructing an optimized edging magnetic circuit aimed at reducing magnetic loss and enhancing BHF. Initially, the study utilizes finite element analysis to build a dataset, followed by the application of a particle swarm to optimization BP neural network for magnetic force prediction and modeling. This process reveals the coupling relationship between the working gap thickness, MRE's relative permeability, and magnetic force, where the training and testing results of the model show an average error is around 5 %. Further, by applying a genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize the magnetic permeability of MRE, the theoretical optimal relative permeability curve of MRE is determined. To facilitate production, the goal is set to achieve 98 % of the maximum magnetic force, based on which further optimization is conducted to establish the engineering design range for MRE's relative permeability. Subsequently, MRE samples were designed and manufactured, and combined with a 36-pole EPM magnetic loading mechanism for experimental validation. The results show that the error between the predicted and experimental outcomes is 5.2 %, and the deep drawing experiments further confirm that the introduction of MRE helps the electronically controlled permanent magnet edging process to accommodate the deep drawing needs of slabs with varying thicknesses. This discovery provides valuable guidance for the improvement of the EPMBH process.
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