Multi-material-design offers high potential for weight saving and optimization of engineering structures but inherits challenges as well, especially robust joining methods and long-term properties of hybrid structures. The application of joining techniques like ultrasonic welding allows a very efficient design of multi-material-components to enable further use of material specific advantages and are superior concerning mechanical properties.The Institute of Materials Science and Engineering of the University of Kaiserslautern (WKK) has a long-time experience on ultrasonic welding of dissimilar materials, for example different kinds of CFRP, light metals, steels or even glasses and ceramics. The mechanical properties are mostly optimized by using ideal process parameters, determined through statistical test planning methods.This gained knowledge is now to be transferred to application in aviation industry in cooperation with CTC GmbH and Airbus Operations GmbH. Therefore aircraft-related materials are joined by ultrasonic welding. The applied process parameters are recorded and analyzed in detail to be interlinked with the resulting mechanical properties of the hybrid joints. Aircraft derived multi-material demonstrators will be designed, manufactured and characterized with respect to their monotonic and fatigue properties as well as their resistance to aging.
