Electropulsing induces intense Joule heating in metallic materials, particularly in the presence of defects that disturb electric current flow. In this study, a coupled electro-thermo-mechanical finite element model is developed to investigate the transient elastic response of a titanium plate containing an elliptical inhomogeneity subjected to high-density pulsed electric currents. The effect of the inhomogeneous geometry, electrical pulse characteristics, and inclusion material properties is systematically examined within an elastic framework. The results show that cavities and insulating inclusions cause pronounced current density concentration at the inhomogeneity tips, leading to localized Joule heating and severe thermal stresses that intensify with increasing aspect ratio. Solid inclusions, on the other hand, significantly mitigate peak temperature and stress levels compared to cavities due to enhanced heat conduction and mechanical support. Among the inclusion properties considered, our work shows that the electrical resistivity plays a dominant role in governing current redistribution, temperature rise, and stress evolution. These findings provide mechanistic insight into Joule heating-defect interactions under electropulsing and establish an elastic baseline response, which serves as a foundation for subsequent investigations incorporating elasto-plastic material behaviour.
Wu et al. (Thu,) studied this question.