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

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

Belo Gomes Brito, C. (TU Delft Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies)
Teuwen, Julie J.E. (TU Delft Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies)
Dransfeld, C.A. (TU Delft Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies)
Villegas, I.F. (TU Delft Aerospace Structures & Computational Mechanics; TU Delft Design for Sustainability)

2023

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.

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

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e1ca6d19-64b1-485d-9035-0c814857934b

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2022.116342

0263-8223

Composite Structures, 304

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2023 C. Belo Gomes Brito, Julie J.E. Teuwen, C.A. Dransfeld, I.F. Villegas