On improving process efficiency and weld quality in ultrasonic welding of misaligned thermoplastic composite adherends

C. B. G. Brito*, J. Teuwen, C. A. Dransfeld, I. F. Villegas

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)
119 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This paper evaluates the potential of changing the welding force and the compliance of the energy director (ED) to reduce the effects caused by misaligned adherends, which were: increased through-thickness heating, reduced size of welded area and increased heating time. In the methodology that was followed, we welded adherends misaligned by approximately 4.5° in different scenarios: with higher welding force; with increased ED compliance by the use of a thicker ED and; with increased ED compliance by the use of a discontinuous ED. The most significant reduction of the effects caused by misaligned adherends was obtained when combining the use of both increased welding force and discontinuous ED. Such improvement derives from the imposed parallelism caused by the use of a higher welding force and from a more efficient concentration of heat generation at the weld line that occurs when a discontinuous ED is used.

Original languageEnglish
Article number116342
Number of pages11
JournalComposite Structures
Volume304
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Keywords

  • Carbon fibre
  • Energy director
  • Fusion bonding
  • Joints/joining
  • Porosity
  • Welding force

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'On improving process efficiency and weld quality in ultrasonic welding of misaligned thermoplastic composite adherends'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this