A review of strengthening mechanisms and applications of the multifield-coupled manufacturing process

The multifield-coupled manufacturing process has garnered considerable interest from a multitude of scholars and researchers, owing to its superior efficacy in enhancing material properties. Yet, a comprehensive elucidation of the coupled mechanism among externally assisted fields remains elusive, thereby potentially constraining the universal adoption of this process. Considering the applications of multifield-coupled technology in manufacturing processes and existing expositions of multifield function mechanisms, we collate the salient applications of multifield-coupled methods, encompassing electric-ultrasonic vibration assisted field (EUVAF), electric-magnetic compound field (EMCF), and electric-magnetic-ultrasonic vibration compound field (EMUCF). Moreover, we rigorously analyze the mechanisms of these three multifield-coupled processes, placing particular emphasis on aspects such as quantum mechanics wave, electron migration, vacancy mobility, dislocation evolution, and precipitated phase, among others. In tandem, the multifield mechanisms' dynamics and thermodynamics perspectives are explicated, along with the merits and demerits of multifield applications. A pioneering perspective of the multifield is explored from the vantage point of energy theory of thermodynamics. We postulate that future explorations in the multifield-coupled domain might underscore the relevance of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle (HUP), the density functional theory (DFT), and the maximization of multifield-coupled benefits. The manuscript delineates potential multifield applications in the future, which comprise electric-ultrasonic additive technology, electropulsing-ultrasonic vibration assisted rolling process, electropulsing-ultrasonic vibration assisted micro-forging process; electropulsing-ultrasonic vibration-assisted drawing process; and ultrasonic vibration-magnetic pulse sorting technology. The prospective advancements of multifield equipment are projected.