Abstract: An electric field assisted roll forming technique was proposed to fabricate large area arrayed micro-channel structure, and the traditional theoretical model of roll pressure was modified. It was found that the filling height could be improved by increasing the radius of roller and the ratio of the gap to the tooth width. By establishing the arrayed micro-channel current assisted thermo-electro-mechanical coupling finite element simulation model, the “plate to plate” electrically-assisted rolling process scheme was determined, and the experiments of SUS304 stainless steel arrayed micro-channel electrically-assisted roll forming were performed. The results show that the surface temperature distribution of sheet is uniform, but the current density distribution of sheet cross section is inconsistent, which leads to the uneven distribution of stress in different regions of micro-channel. The high current density can reduce the flow stress and weaken the difference of stress in different regions of micro-channel. In terms of process parameters, increasing roll pressure can improve the forming quality of micro-channel, and lower synchronous roller speed is beneficial to the forming of micro-channel. The average width and depth of the micro-channel fabricated under the optimal process parameters are 0.302 mm±0.011 mm and 0.362 mm±0.010 mm respectively.

Key words: arrayed micro-channel, SUS304 stainless steel, electric field assistance, roll forming, thermal-electric-mechanical coupling