Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon) 2020
The Tensile Electroplasticity of Low Carbon Steel
with Low Amplitude Pulse Current
Nayanathara Hendeniya
Department of Materials Science & Eng.
University of Moratuwa
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
150217t@uom.lk
Indika De. Silva
Department of Materials Science & Eng,
University of Moratuwa
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
indikagip@uom.lk
Abstract—The significant improvement of the plasticity of
a metal that undergoes deformation in the presence of electricity
is called electroplasticity. Manufacturing processes such as
drawing, and rolling are depending on heat to reduce the forces
associated with fabrication. The high-temperature requirement
is potentially leading to stress, warpage, and reduced tolerance
control. The manufacturing method called Electrically Assisted
Manufacturing is introduced as an effective solution for these
obstacles. The electroplastic deformation of low carbon steel
under the simultaneous combination of uniaxial tensile
conditions and electrical pulses was investigated. A reduction of
the yield stress of low carbon steel having 0.2 wt% of carbon
content was observed due to the electroplasticity. This work
focused on developing a pulsed current generator to achieve the
required combination of current density and pulse width for
electroplasticity effect in these steel samples, and analysis of
yield stress reduction qualitatively.
Keywords—Electroplasticity, Dislocations, Uniaxial Tensile
Test, Electrically Assisted Manufacturing, Low Carbon Steel
I. INTRODUCTION
The effect of the electric current on improving the
plasticity of metal by reducing the flow stress is introduced as
the electroplasticity. This phenomenon was first observed in
Zn single crystals [1]. The reduction in flow stress leads to
reduced drawing force hence the energy used in metal forming
is decreased. Industrially, this is an important feature to reduce
the cost of manufacturing since reduced wear results in
minimum die replacement and reduced drawing force leads to
decrease the stresses on die and wires [2].
However, there is no proper mechanism that can explain
the electroplasticity effect. The first assumption about the
mechanism was that electroplasticity occurs in metal by
electron wind force which drags dislocations [3]. For usual
current density values that electroplasticity effect was
observed in laboratory scale, the theoretically calculated effect
of electron wind force is negligible [4]. Therefore, the electron
wind force is not the only mechanism that drives
electroplasticity.
A model was proposed by Molotskii and Fluorov without
involving the electron wind force. The movement of
dislocations is impeded by pinning centers. If these centers
possess paramagnetism, then the depinning rate is severely
affected by the magnetic field induced by the current [5].
Various studies about electroplasticity favored the idea of
thermal effect. Contribution of Joule heating i.e. dilatation due
978-1-7281-9975-7/20/$31.00 ©2020 IEEE
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Gayan Aravinda Abeygunawardena
Department of Materials Science & Eng.
University of Moratuwa
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
aravinda@uom.lk
Shiranga Wickramasinghe
Department of Materials Science & Eng.
University of Moratuwa
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
150592k@uom.lk
to the temperature rise results in an apparent reduction of flow
stress. The effect of Joule heating is less significant compared
to the electron wind force [5]. It is shown that at sufficiently
high temperatures, flow stress reduction can happen due to
thermally activated plastic flow [6].
The modern theory of electroplasticity suggests that the
flow stress reduction is attributed to the combination of
softening due to Joule heating, depinning of dislocations by
paramagnetic obstacles (magnetic effect of electroplasticity)
and the electron wind force [7]. It is difficult to describe the
characteristic changes that happen inside the metal without
referring to a combination of these three mechanisms.
When studying the electroplasticity effect in any metal,
pulsed current feed to the work specimen is the most
challenging concern. According to literature, electroplasticity
effect has observed under three scenarios.
1. Continuous current supply [3], [6], [8].
2. Single pulsation at high current amplitude [9-11].
3. Continuous pulsation at moderate or low current
amplitude [10].
Generally, continuous current supply is not recommended,
since controlling the heat effect of continuous current supply
is much difficult. Furthermore, the peak current density of
continuous current is lower than the peak current density of
pulsed current with the same effective current density [10].
Meanwhile, researchers have shown that the effective current
density is the factor that affects the heating effect. Low
amplitude pulse current is highly motivated for industrially
applicable Electrically Assisted Manufacturing (EAM)
system [10]. Electrically Assisted Manufacturing is a metal
forming method, that is supported by current pulses to reduce
the energy consumption [4].
Traditionally, metals are deformed at elevated
temperatures to increase their formability. Forming the metals
at elevated temperatures results in several significant
drawbacks; decrease in die strength and poor lubrication due
to increased adhesion between the die and the workpiece [17].
Alternative methods such as hydroforming and
incremental forming are time-consuming, and the capital
investment is high. The requirement is to develop a cost-
effective metal forming process that can enhance the
formability while reducing the forming force without an
 Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon) 2020

extreme escalation in temperature while having a lower power TABLE II. SPECIFICATIONS OF THE PRIMARY AND THE SECONDARY
utilization [12]. COIL OF THE TRANSFORMER AFTER MODIFICATION
Voltage (V) Current (A)
Several studies have shown the capability of electricity to
enhance the formability of metal without a considerable Primary Coil 230 6.52
increase in temperature. Furthermore, it was revealed that the
metal tends to have a reduction in flow stress under the Secondary Coil ~1.2 ~1250
application of current pulses [13], [14]. The pulsed current of
short duration and high frequency has been incorporated into
the metal manufacturing industry [10].
Low carbon steel is one of the most versatile engineering
materials. Although there were many advanced materials
developed through the years, low carbon steels still have a
great significance in engineering applications, influenced by
some properties, mainly due to moderate formability and low
cost [15]. However, concerns are raised about effective power
consumption in metal forming, regardless of the formability
or the cost of the materials.
In this study, a customized current supply was built to
provide the pulse current requirement for low carbon steel, Fig. 2: Control unit of the pulsation set up (a) timer (b) contactor (c) bulb
and the mechanical behavior of low carbon steel under low indicator and transformer (d) secondary winding (e) primary winding
amplitude pulse current and uniaxial tensile deformation were
studied. Hence the feasibility of EAM for low carbon steel was
assessed in the laboratory scale.
II. EXPERIMENTAL
A. Preperation of Tensile Test Specimens
Low carbon steel samples in strip form having 0.2wt.% of
carbon was acquired from a local dealer. As-received samples
were subjected to Spark Emission Compositional Analysis to
verify the chemical composition (TABLE I). Tensile
specimens were prepared according to customized design
(Fig. 1). Prepared specimens were homogenized at 2000C for
two hours to remove any residual stresses induced in metal
forming and machining.
B. Development of a Pulsed Current Generator
For the tensile test with pulsed current, the current was
supplied using a step-down transformer with an adjustable
pulse controller. A transformer with 1.5kVA power was Fig. 3: Schematic representation of the experimental set-up
modified to obtain the required current by changing the
winding. The secondary coil was modified as containing six C. Tensile Test Under Pulsed Current Supply
windings, with each winding consists of 23 copper wires. The
The quasi-static tensile tests were carried out at room
primary coil was remained unchanged. The currents and
voltages that can be obtained from primary and secondary temperature, using a universal tensile testing machine, with a
coils after the modification is shown in TABLE II. A constant displacement rate of 20mm/min. In the experimental
calibrated timer was used to obtain a discrete pulse current as setup, both the gripping ends of the specimen were carefully
desired. Components of the developed pulsed current insulated to isolate the current flow from the testing machine.
generator are shown in Fig. 2. However, due to copper loss of The current flowing through the specimen was measured
the connecting wires, it was difficult to pass the total output using an oscilloscope. The current amplitude, nominal
current of 1250 A through the specimen. A schematic current density (based on the original cross-section of the
representation of the experimental set-up is shown in Fig. 3. specimen), frequency, and the pulse width are shown in
TABLE III. For the tensile test with pulsed electric current,
TABLE I. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE AS-RECEIVED LOW
CARBON STEEL SAMPLE
the specimen was continually pulsed with a constant
amplitude of electric current until the fracture. A set of three
C Mn Si P S Cr Fe
0.201 0.55 0.189 0.0127 0.066 0.028 98.8
specimens was tested for each condition to verify the
repeatability of the test, and the load vs. extension behavior
was obtained from the in-built tensile behavior tracking
software of the tensile machine. Temperature rise during the
tensile test was monitored using an infrared thermal gun. Data
sets comprising 30 data points were taken from the obtained
Fig. 1: Detailed design of the test specimen load vs. extension graphs and were digitized using OriginPro
software to convert load and extension into stress and strain

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 Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon) 2020

values respectively. The average yield stress was calculated visual representation of the area under the curve for samples
using the obtained yield stress values. To verify the effect of tested with current is lower than the area under the curve for
current on ductility, area reduction was measured relative to samples tested without current. This justifies the phenomena
samples tested without current. The lengths of the two sides that the strain energy absorbed by the sample has been reduced
of the fractured surface were measured using Vernier caliper. under the pulsed current [18].
This was repeated for both pieces of the sample, tested TABLE III. CURRENT DENSITY, PULSE WIDTH, AND FREQUENCY USED
without current and with current for all three specimens. By IN THE EXPERIMENT
using these measurements, the average area of the separated Current Current Pulse width (s) Frequency
samples was calculated to compare the relative reduction of amplitude density (Hz)
the area. (A) (A/mm2)
64 10.6 10 20
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A. Current Supply Method TABLE IV. YIELD STRESS OF THE SAMPLES TESTED IN THE PRESENCE
OF CURRENT AND UNDER NORMAL CONDITION
Previous studies proved that there are several possible
methods for supplying current to the specimen. Sample no. Yield Stress without Yield Stress with
current (MPa) current (MPa)
• Increasing the current from the normal supply 1 373.11 284.62
using transformers, 2 388.24 334.02
• Using a welder (A similar method to 3 365.35 321.42
transformers that is specially used in welding Standard 11.64 25.67
machines) [16] Deviation
(MPa)
• Using capacitor banks [17] Average 375.57 313.35
However, the foremost task was to identify the most (MPa)
Reduction (MPa) 62.22
appropriate current supply method for this study.
The pulsed current can be increased up to kA range using TABLE V. UTS OF THE SAMPLES TESTED IN THE PRESENCE OF PULSED
transformers and current can be transmitted to the specimen CURRENT AND UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS
through a regulation circuit. Vedal SP- 1000U welder is a Sample no. Yield Stress without Yield Stress with
transformer type welding power supply. It can convert the current (MPa) current (MPa)
moderate current and voltage from the domestic supply (230 1 513.03 459.67
or 115 VAC), into a high current and low voltage supply, 2 502.50 475.83
typically between 55 to 590 A (open- circuit) and 17 to 45 V.
Since welding transformers provide less power, only when the 3 505.67 440.83
cross-section is smaller, welder transformers can be used to Standard 5.40 17.41
give the required current density. Deviation
(MPa)
There have been studies conducted using capacitor banks Average 507.06 458.78
comprising the R-L-C supply circuit. Inside the capacitor (MPa)
bank, the capacitors are connected in parallel to obtain the Reduction (MPa) 48.28
maximum capacitance. Then the capacitor bank should be
connected in series to the circuit. The drawback of capacitor
banks is to control of the pulse. Since the discharging of the
capacitor is not uniform, it affects the generated pulse.
Additionally, there is another issue due to the high voltage
used to charge these capacitors, once it is discharged, creating
a high voltage difference which affects the safety aspects.
Furthermore, capacitors cannot be kept at constant capacity
because once it is charged, starting to discharge even under
normal conditions. These drawbacks lead to limit the use of
the capacitor bank method for this task. Under these
circumstances, to overcome these drawbacks effectively, the
transformer method was chosen as the current supply method.
B. Reduction of Yield Stress and Ultimate Tensile Strength
(UTS)
The stress vs. strain graphs plotted for the cases of with
and with and without the current supply was shown in Fig. 4.
Average yield stress and ultimate tensile strength values under Fig. 4: Stress vs. Strain variation of the 0.2%C steel sample under the
these two conditions are shown in TABLE IV and TABLE V. two conditions (Black: without current, Red: with current)
As shown in Fig 4 the stress vs. strain curve for samples
tested with current lies below the samples tested without
current. The area under the curve represents the energy
absorbed by the sample during deformation. Therefore, the

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 Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon) 2020
This setup was developed at the laboratory scale to verify
the electroplasticity effect of low carbon steel could be further
improved up to the industrial level to introduce for forming,
drawing, and machining operations of low carbon steel.
Samples tested under pulsed current showed a relatively
lower UTS compared to the samples tested without current by
comparing the true stress vs. true strain of the two conditions
(Fig. 5).
The average values of UTS were compared. Once the
current was applied, plastic deformation characteristics are
significantly affected by electroplasticity. Furthermore,
results showed that the UTS of the specimens tested in the
presence of electric pulses is lower than the specimens tested
without current pulses.
C. Reduction in Flow Stress
Generally, the plastic region of the true stress vs. true
strain curve represents the flow behavior of the material (Fig.
5). Flow stress is defined as the sudden value of stress required
to maintain the plastic deformation of a material. Once the
elastic region is neglected, a significant difference between the
flow curves with and without pulsed current was observed.
The flow stress of the samples tested under pulsed current is
lower than samples tested without pulsed current. This
reduction can be explicated using the Taylor strengthening
equation (1) [10].
= √
Here,
b- Burger’s vector
α- Dimensionless constant
ρ- Dislocation density
μ- Shear modulus
M- Schmid’s factor
The pulsed electric current affects the Schmid’s factor and
the dislocation density. Increasing the pulsed current causes
annihilation of dislocations, which means, reduction of
dislocation density. According to the above equation (1), flow
stress is reduced with the reduction of dislocation density.
Fig. 5: True stress vs. true strain behavior of 0.2%C steel sample without
current (Black), with current (Red)
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According to previous studies, the grain rotation concept
is another factor that affects the flow stress. Grain rotation can
be induced by applying electric pulses to materials [19]. A
recent study conducted by Rahnama and Quin has shown that
a peak current density of 10.18 A/mm2 can induce grain
rotation in duplex steel at room temperature [10]. Grain
rotation changes the Schmid’s factor thereby it affects directly
to the flow stress. Generally, grain boundaries are considered
as an obstacle for dislocation motion due to the mis-
orientation of lattice planes at grain boundaries. However,
with the rotation of grains, lattice planes in some areas of the
grain boundaries are oriented and allowing to move
dislocations from one grain to another.
Therefore, it is obvious that the elimination of obstacles
for dislocation movement with this favorable orientation leads
to reduce the flow stress.
D. Effect of Pulsed Current on Ductility
The ductility of a metal can be determined by using the
percentage reduction of area. The reduction of area compares
between the original cross-sectional area and the minimum
cross-sectional area of the same sample after complete
fracture failure.
Measure of ductility is given by,
−
% = × 100
(1) (2)
The ductility of samples tested under electricity is higher
than the normal test (TABLE VI). This provides evidence to
validate the point that electricity enhances the ductile
properties of the material.
E. Temperature Variations
According to the thermal camera images taken while the
sample is deforming, an increase of temperature was
observed in specimens tested with current (Fig. 7) when
compared with the specimens tested without current (Fig. 6)
that is known as joule heating. The metal becomes slightly
soft due to the joule heating and that affects the increase of
ductility. In contrast to the phenomenon observed in
specimens tested with current, when specimens were tested
without current, the temperature changes are only associated
with strain energy, where Joule Heating is absent. There have
been many reports about the combined effect of Joule
heating, de- pining of dislocations by paramagnetic obstacles
and electron wind force on the electroplasticity. Nevertheless,
the degree of the individual contribution of these factors was
yet to be explained.
IV. CONCLUSION
Low carbon steel having 0.2 wt.% shows a reduction of
62.22 MPa in yield stress when subjected to uniaxial tension
under low amplitude high-frequency pulse current. The UTS
is also reduced by 48.28 MPa due to the effect of
electroplasticity. The flow curve suggests the reduction in
flow stress due to the application of electric pulses
continuously. This suggests that electrical pulses help to
increase the plasticity of low carbon steel.
Energy used in the forming of low carbon steel can be
saved in huge amounts by applying electric pulses while
deformation. The increase in temperature during the
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 Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon) 2020

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Fig. 6: Temperature variation of Fig. 7: Temperature variation of the

the sample when tested without tested specimen when tested with
current current

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