Double-Pulse Ultrasonic Welding of Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polyamide 66 Composite

Ultrasonic welding of thermoplastics is widely applied in automobile and aerospace industries. Increasing the weld area and avoiding thermal decomposition are contradictory factors in improving strength of ultrasonically welded polymers. In this study, relations among the loss modulus of carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide 66 composite (CF/PA 66), time for obtaining stable weld area, and time for CF/PA 66 decomposition are investigated systematically. Then, a double-pulse ultrasonic welding process (DPUW) is proposed, and the temperature evolutions, morphologies and structures of fractured surfaces, and tensile and fatigue properties of the DPUWed joints are measured and assessed. Experimental results show the optimal welding parameters for DPUW include a weld time of 2.1 s for the first pulse, a cooling time of 12 s, and a weld time of 1.5 s for the second pulse. The DPUW process enlarged the weld area while avoided decomposition of CF/PA 66 under appropriate welding parameters. Compared to the single-pulse welded joint, the peak load, weld area, and endurance limit of the DPUWed joint increased by about 15%, 23% and 59%, respectively. DPUW also decreases the variance in strengths of the joints

Challenges and Advances in Welding and Joining Magnesium Alloy to Steel

Hybrid structures built using Mg/steel are expected to have an increasing impact on the future developments of the manufacturing sector, especially where lightweight structures are required in order to reduce fuel consumption, greenhouse gases and improve efficiency of energy-converting systems. To this end, there is a pressing need for a joining technology to produce effective and low-cost dissimilar Mg/steel joints. Joining of these materials has always been a challenging task for researchers, due to the wide discrepancies in physical properties and lack of metallurgical compatibilities that make the welding process difficult. Based on the existing literature, a successful joint between magnesium alloys and steel can be achieved by inserting an interlayer at the interface or mutual diffusion of alloying elements from the base metal (BM). Thus, intermetallic phases (IMCs) or solid solutions between Mg and the interlayer and also the interlayer and Fe formed at the interface. However, the interfacial bonding achieved and the joints performance depend significantly on the intermediate phase. This paper reviewed the research and progress in the area of joining of Mg alloys to various grades of steel by variety of welding processes, with focus on the techniques used to control the morphology and existence state of intermediate phase and improving the mechanical properties

Design Method of Immiscible Dissimilar Welding (Mg/Fe) Based on CALPHAD and Thermodynamic Modelling

Joining dissimilar metals is a major challenge in joining technology; the weldability of immiscible systems is especially challenging. In this study, a design methodology for dissimilar welding is suggested. The Miedema model and Toop model are developed to calculate the thermodynamics of quaternary alloy systems (Mg-Fe-Al-Cu). Finite element modelling (FEM) of temperature fields and the calculation of phase diagrams (CALPHAD) are combined to provide prerequisite information for modelling. As a test subject, laser welded lap configuration joints of AZ31B magnesium alloy and DP590 steel with a copper coating were put into the design scheme. The interfacial elemental diffusion and formation of intermetallics (IMCs) along the interface during the welding process are predicted. This simulation design scheme predicts the interfacial reaction kinetics and identifies whether the intermediate element works or not. The effects of the Cu coating thickness on the weld constitution, interfacial microstructures and mechanical properties were studied. Cu coating promotes the weld formation fostering the metallurgical reaction of the fusion zone (FZ) with the steel brazing interface. The mechanism of interfacial reactions during the welding-brazing process has been clarified. The Vickers hardness distribution across the interface shows that the Cu-IMCs are ductile

Vacuum brazing ZSCf composite ceramics to TC4 alloy with Ag-Cu filler

Abstract In this study, the carbon fiber reinforced ZrB₂-SiC composite ceramic was joined to Ti6Al4V alloy with Ag-Cu eutectic alloy filler at varied holding time and a fixed temperature of 800℃. Interface microstructure and shear strength of brazing joints were studied. The brazed ZSCf ceramics/AgCu/TC4 alloy is endowed with good metallurgical bondings. A typical interfacial structure of joints brazed for 10 min was found as ZSCf/TiC/Ti₅Si₃/Ag(s,s)/Cu(s,s) + TiC/TiCu/Ti₂Cu/(TiC + TiCu)/TC4 alloy. Increase of holding time did not vary the precipitated phase of the joints but decreased thickness of the Ag(s, s) and Cu(s, s) reaction layer and gradually thickened the Ti-Cu reaction layer near the TC4 side. The formation process of reaction products was discussed in detail. The holding time substantially influenced shear strength of the joints. A maximum shear strength of 39 MPa was reached at a brazing time of 20 min

Predicting laser penetration welding states of high-speed railway Al butt-lap joint based on EEMD-SVM

The Al butt-lap joints are widely applied in China Railway High-speed (CRH) trains body joints. However, the gaps caused by the thermal deformation in Al butt-lap joints lead to the lack penetration or over penetration. To predict the penetration state of laser welds in Al butt-lap joints with different gaps, this work investigated the correlation between the plasma plume morphology and penetration state monitored by high-speed imaging system and the vertical gap and horizontal gap were utilized as intermediary. The ensemble experience mode decomposition (EEMD) was used to obtain the frequency features of plasma plume morphology. A support vector machine (SVM) model combined with EEMD was then established to classify the different penetration state, which adopted the original signals at time-domain and the mode decomposition signals at frequency-domain as input. The EEMD-SVM accuracy of 97.98% was the highest among the EMD-SVM of 86.44% and the SVM of 58.15%. The EEMD-SVM obtained both high Accuracy and Recall when the quantity of positive and negative samples were utmost different. The classification of the EEMD-SVM model was the most superior among the EMD-SVM model and SVM model. This proposed method provided a novel and accurate approach to perform process monitoring and penetration defects detection during laser welding of butt-lap joints

The Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 5083, 6005A and 7N01 Aluminum Alloy Gas Metal Arc-Welded Joints for High-Speed Train: A Comparative Study

This study aimed to conduct a comparative study on the microstructure and mechanical performance of 5083, 6005A and 7N01 Al joints used in China Railway High-speed (CRH) trains. We connected 10 mm-thick plates by three-layer and three-pass gas metal arc welding (GMAW). The results indicated that 6005A and 7N01 Al joints were more sensitive to grain boundary liquation in the partially melted zone (PMZ) than 5083 Al joins. Besides, recrystallization was obtained in heat-affected zones (HAZ). The 5083 Al joints experienced the most severe recrystallization and the grain size changed from 6.32 (BM) to 32.44 (HAZ) μm duo to intracrystalline strain induced by cold-rolled processes. The 7N01 Al alloys experienced the lowest extent of recrystallization and the grain size increased from 5.32 (BM) to 22.31 (HAZ) μm. Furthermore, significant precipitate evolution in the HAZ was observed. Original thin β” precipitates dissolved in HAZ of 6005A Al joints and transformed to the softer β phase. However, less precipitation transition was examined in 5083 and 7N01 Al joints. The precipitates’ evolution produced a softening region in HAZ of 6005A joints where the hardness was only 55 HV. The microhardness profile of the other two Al joints was less affected. The tensile strength of 5083, 6005A, and 7N01 Al alloy joints reached 323, 206 and 361 MPa, respectively. The 5083 Al and 6005A Al joints failed at HAZ near the fusion line while 7N01 Al joints failed at the fusion zone owing to the high strength of the base metal. The liquation, coarse grains by recrystallization, and precipitate evolution all decreased local strength, resulting in the fracture at HAZ