Research projects

Magnetic pulse forming is a new, very innovative but nearly unknown production process. The Research Centre of the Belgian Welding Institute has started up a research project in 2008 to demonstrate the industrial advantages of this technique.

Global trends are forcing industry to manufacture lighter, safer, more environmentally, more performant and cheaper products. In the automotive industry, weight reduction is pursued and in this regard, lightweight materials such as composites offer the most suitable solution due to their considerably lower density. In view of this, multi-material designs exploit the material with desired properties for each part of the automotive component. However, the need for the next generation of novel hybrid metal-composite components brings along major challenges regarding the joints between different material types. This is the driving force behind the MetalMorphosis research project, which was carried out at the Belgian Welding Institute in collaboration with 8 European research and industrial partners.

This article first presents a short overview of the objectives targeted in the MetalMorphosis research project. Subsequently, the joining design concepts developed and research related to the hybrid metal-composite tubular and sheet joints using the electromagnetic pulse technology, will be addressed. Finally, the development of a brake pedal and a shock absorber, both consisting of metal-composite hybrid components, is highlighted. 

Did you already had to deal with galvanic corrosion?

When two different materials come into contact with each other, the least noble material will undergo accelerated degradation in an aggressive environment. This phenomenon is called galvanic corrosion. In the figure below, you can see for example an accelerated degradation of the aluminium that is joined to a copper tube.