scholarly journals Advances in Ultrasonic Welding of Thermoplastic Composites: A Review

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Somen K. Bhudolia ◽  
Goram Gohel ◽  
Kah Fai Leong ◽  
Aminul Islam
Keyword(s):  
Composite Structures ◽  
Dissimilar Materials ◽  
Processing Parameters ◽  
Ultrasonic Welding ◽  
Thermoplastic Composite ◽  
Thermoplastic Composites ◽  
Pressure Amplitude ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Cost Efficient ◽  
Weld Time

The ultrasonic welding (UW) technique is an ultra-fast joining process, and it is used to join thermoplastic composite structures, and provides an excellent bonding strength. It is more cost-efficient as opposed to the conventional adhesive, mechanical and other joining methods. This review paper presents the detailed progress made by the scientific and research community to date in the direction of the UW of thermoplastic composites. The focus of this paper is to review the recent development of the ultrasonic welding technique for thermoplastic composites to thermoplastic composites, and to dissimilar materials. Different ultrasonic welding modes and their processing parameters, namely, weld time, weld pressure, amplitude, type of energy directors (EDs) affecting the welding quality and the advantages and disadvantages of UW over other bonding techniques, are summarized. The current state of the ultrasonic welding of thermoplastic composites and their future perspectives are also deliberated.

The Effects of Energy Director Shape on Temperature Field during Ultrasonic Welding of Thermoplastic Composites

2007 ◽  
Vol 353-358 ◽  
pp. 2007-2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiu Chun Yan ◽  
Xiao Lin Wang ◽  
Rui Qi Li ◽  
Hui Bin Xu ◽  
Shi Qin Yang
Keyword(s):  
Welding Process ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Ultrasonic Welding ◽  
The Body ◽  
Thermoplastic Composite ◽  
Thermoplastic Composites ◽  
Glass Transformation ◽  
Different Shapes ◽  
Energy Director ◽  
Different Order

The ultrasonic welding process of thermoplastic composite with different shapes of energy director (ED) was simulated using finite element model. The results show that the highest temperature zone locates at the tip for the semicircular and triangular ones, and locates at the middle height for the trapezoid one. But it does not locate at the body of ED for the rectangular one. Energy director with different shapes lead to the temperature rising rate at different order of amplitude. The welding amplitude has same influence on the four shapes of ED. The temperature distributing profiles of semicircular, triangular and trapezoid ED keep constant from the initial welding time to that when the highest temperature on joints arrives the temperature of glass transformation (Tg), but the profile for rectangular ED changes greatly.

scholarly journals Process Chain Modelling and Analysis for the High-Volume Production of Thermoplastic Composites with Embedded Piezoceramic Modules

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Hufenbach ◽  
M. Gude ◽  
N. Modler ◽  
Th. Heber ◽  
A. Winkler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Composite Structures ◽  
Continuous Process ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Thermoplastic Composite ◽  
Thermoplastic Composites ◽  
Process Chain ◽  
Widespread Application ◽  
High Volume Production ◽  
Volume Production ◽  
Functional Components

Active composite structures based on thermoplastic matrix systems are highly suited to applications in lightweight structures ready for series production. The integration of additional functional components such as material-embedded piezoceramic actuators and sensors and an electronic network facilitates the targeted control and manipulation of structural behaviour. The current delay in the widespread application of such adaptive structures is primarily attributable to a lack of appropriate manufacturing technologies. It is against this backdrop that this paper contributes to the development of a novel manufacturing process chain characterized by robustness and efficiency and based on hot-pressing techniques tailored to specific materials and actuators. Special consideration is given to detailed process chain modelling and analysis focusing on interactions between technical and technological aspects. The development of a continuous process chain by means of the analysis of parameter influences is described. In conclusion, the use of parameter manipulation to successfully realize a unique manufacturing line designed for the high-volume production of adaptive thermoplastic composite structures is demonstrated.

Manufacturing procedure to make flat thermoplastic composite laminates by automated fibre placement and their mechanical properties

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1693-1712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suong Van Hoa ◽  
Minh Duc Hoang ◽  
Jeff Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Composite Laminates ◽  
Composite Structures ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Thermoplastic Composite ◽  
Thermoplastic Composites ◽  
Thermoset Composites ◽  
Material Deposition ◽  
Manufacturing Procedure ◽  
Composites Processing

Automated fibre placement (AFP) is a relatively new process for the manufacturing of composite structures. Among many attractive features, it provides high-speed of material deposition, more repeatability in terms of quality of the part, less labour intensive (as compared with traditional methods of manufacturing such as Hand Lay-Up), less waste and the ability to transition more seamlessly from design to manufacturing. AFP can be used to process both thermoset composites and thermoplastic composites. Thermoplastic composites processing holds many potential benefits. This is because if the process is done right in producing parts with good quality, it is fast since it does not require a second process such as curing in an autoclave or oven. For the purpose of comparison of performance and for design, it is necessary to determine the mechanical properties of laminates made using this process. However, there are challenges in making flat coupons for the purpose of testing for mechanical properties. This article presents these challenges and the procedure developed to make flat laminates using a simple AFP machine. Mechanical properties of these laminates are also determined and compared with those obtained from laminates made using conventional autoclave moulding.

The Effect of Infill Patterns and Annealing on Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Thermoplastic Composites

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sridher Rangisetty ◽  
Larry D. Peel
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Composite Structures ◽  
Fused Deposition Modeling ◽  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Short Fiber ◽  
Thermoplastic Composite ◽  
Thermoplastic Composites ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Fused Deposition ◽  
Reinforced Thermoplastics

Recently, carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTPs) have become popular choices in desktop-based additive manufacturing, but there is limited information on their effective usage. In Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), a structure is created by layers of extruded beads. The degree of bonding between beads, bead orientation, degree of interlayer bonding, type of infill and the type of material, determines overall mechanical performance. The presence of chopped fibers in thermoplastics increases melt viscosity, changes coefficients of thermal expansion, may have layer adhesion issues, and causes increased wear on nozzles, which makes FDM fabrication of thermoplastic composites somewhat different from neat thermoplastics. In the current work, best practices and the effect of annealing and infill patterns on the mechanical performance of FDM-fabricated composite parts were investigated. Materials included commercially available PLA, CF-PLA, ABS, CF-ABS, PETG, and CF-PETG. Two sets of ASTM D638 tensile and ASTM D790 flexural test specimens with 3 different infill patterns and each material were fabricated, one set annealed, and all tested. Anisotropic behavior was observed as a function of infill pattern. As expected, strength and stiffness were higher when the beads were oriented in the direction of the load, even for neat resins. All fiber-filled tensile results showed an increase in stiffness, but surprisingly, not in strength (likely due to very short fiber lengths). Tests of annealed specimens resulted in clear improvements in tensile strength, tensile stiffness and flexural strength for PLA, CF-PLA, and PETG, CF-PETG but a reduction in flexural stiffness. Also, annealing resulted in mixed improvements for ABS and CF-ABS and is only useful in certain infill patterns. This work also establishes ‘Best Practices’ of FDM-type fabrication of thermoplastic composite structures and documents the minimum critical fiber lengths and fiber fractions of several CF-filled FDM filaments.

scholarly journals Static test of a variable stiffness thermoplastic composite wingbox under shear, bending and torsion

2020 ◽  
Vol 124 (1275) ◽  
pp. 635-666
Author(s):  
G. Zucco ◽  
V. Oliveri ◽  
M. Rouhi ◽  
R. Telford ◽  
G. Clancy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Composite Structures ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Variable Stiffness ◽  
Buckling Load ◽  
Thermoplastic Composite ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Thermoplastic Composites ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Shear Bending

AbstractAutomated manufacturing of thermoplastic composites has found increased interest in aerospace applications over the past three decades because of its great potential in low-cost, high rate, repeatable production of high performance composite structures. Experimental validation is a key element in the development of structures made using this emerging technology. In this work, a $750\times640\times240$ mm variable-stiffness unitised integrated-stiffener out-of-autoclave thermoplastic composite wingbox is tested for a combined shear-bending-torsion induced buckling load. The wingbox is manufactured by in-situ consolidation using a laser-assisted automated tape placement technique. It is made and tested as a demonstrator section located at 85% of the wing semi-span of a B-737/A320 sized aircraft. A bespoke in-house test rig and two aluminium dummy wingboxes are also designed and manufactured for testing the wingbox assembly which spans more than 3m. Prior to testing, the wingbox assembly and the test rig were analysed using a high fidelity finite element method to minimise the failure risk due to the applied load case. The experimental test results of the wingbox are also compared with the predictions made by a numerical study performed by nonlinear finite element analysis showing less than 5% difference in load-displacement behaviour and buckling load and full agreement in predicting the buckling mode shape.

scholarly journals Ultrasonic Welding of Novel Carbon/Elium® Thermoplastic Composites with Flat and Integrated Energy Directors: Lap Shear Characterisation and Fractographic Investigation

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Somen K. Bhudolia ◽  
Goram Gohel ◽  
Jayaram Kantipudi ◽  
Kah Fai Leong ◽  
Robert J. Barsotti
Keyword(s):  
Polymer Matrix Composites ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Ultrasonic Welding ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Thermoplastic Composites ◽  
Matrix Composites ◽  
Thermoplastic Resin ◽  
Lap Shear ◽  
Weld Time ◽  
Transfer Moulding

The current research work presents a first attempt to investigate the welding attributes of Elium® thermoplastic resin and the fusion bonding using ultrafast ultrasonic welding technique. The integrated energy director (ED) polymer-matrix composites (PMCs) panel manufacturing was carried out using the Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) technique and the scheme is deduced to manufacture a bubble-free panel. Integrated ED configurations and flat specimens with Elium® film of different thickness at the interface were investigated for ultrasonic welding optimization. Optimised weld time for integrated ED and flat Elium® panels with film (0.5 mm thick) configuration was found to be 1 s and 5.5 s, respectively. The ED integrated configuration showed the best welding results with a lap shear strength of 18.68 MPa. The morphological assessment has shown significant plastic deformation of Elium® resin and the shear cusps formation, which enhances the welding strength. This research has the potential to open up an excellent and automated way of joining Elium® composite parts in automotive, wind turbines, sports, and many other industrial applications.

EFFECT OF PROCESSING PARAMETERS ON THE WIDTHS AND THICKNESSES OF THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES MADE BY AUTOMATED FIBER PLACEMENT

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
DUC MINH HOANG ◽  
SUONG VAN HOA
Keyword(s):  
Applied Pressure ◽  
Processing Parameters ◽  
Thermoplastic Composite ◽  
Thermoplastic Composites ◽  
Engineering Structures ◽  
Fiber Placement ◽  
Automated Fiber Placement ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Placement Machine ◽  
Curved Panels

The advent of Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) machine has expanded the capacities to manufacture engineering structures using thermoplastic composites. Structures of cylindrical shapes, flat and curved panels can be easily made using this technique. As more applications and more studies have been made on this technique for thermoplastic composites, many issues have come up. One issue of importance is the variation of the width and thickness of the tow as it is deposited. As the melted thermoplastic composite tow is being pressed under the compression force of the roller, the material flows. This changes the width and the thickness of the tow. The values of the width and thickness depend on many parameters such as the properties of the substrate, the temperature of the material, and the applied pressure. This variation in width and thickness of the individual tow being deposited has an influence on the development of laps and gaps between the deposited tows. This paper presents some of the results on an investigation on the above topic. Widths and thicknesses of carbon/PEEK tows processed using an Automated Fiber Placement machine with a hot gas torch were examined. Preliminary results show that there is significant variation in the width and thickness of the tows upon deposition.

scholarly journals ROBOTIC SEQUENTIAL ULTRASONIC WELDING OF THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES: PROCESS DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
ABHAS CHOUDHARY, ◽  
IRENE FERNANDEZ
Keyword(s):  
Welded Joints ◽  
Industrial Robot ◽  
Welding Process ◽  
Ultrasonic Welding ◽  
Thermoplastic Composite ◽  
Thermoplastic Composites ◽  
Robot Arm ◽  
Spot Welds ◽  
Robotic Platform ◽  
Lap Shear

Multi-spot sequential ultrasonic welding is a promising joining technique for fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites structures (TPC). In existing research on the multi-spot sequential ultrasonic welding process, welds are produced through the use of a static table-top welding machine, at a coupon level. However, in order to apply this joining technology to large structures, the welding process needs to be up-scaled through the use of a robotic platform. At the Smart Advanced Manufacturing (SAM|XL) automation field lab and TU Delft Aerospace Engineering, a robotic sequential ultrasonic welding system has been developed. The system consists of a welding end-effector (EEF) equipped with various sensors that enable online process monitoring and control, which can be mounted on an industrial robot arm to perform sequential multi-spot welds. The goal of this study was to assess the welding performance of the ultrasonic welding EEF, which was mounted on an industrial KUKA KR210 R2700 Extra 10-axis robot arm, by comparing it to the performance of welds produced through the static table-top machine. In this study, single and multi-spot welds were produced on thermoplastic composite coupons, based on welding conditions which were defined in a preliminary study. The robot and EEF deflections observed during the welding process were analysed to assess the deviation of the robotic process from the static one. The feedback obtained from the welding equipment in terms of consumed power and tool displacement in both processes was also compared. The weld quality was assessed though single lap shear testing of the welded joints as well as fractography of the failure surface. The results of this study indicate that the developed robotic welding process is quite robust and is capable of producing high-quality sequential welded joints despite significant system deflections observed during the welding process. Slightly lower welded area and weld strength was obtained which can be attributed to the system deflections. Finally, the results indicate that the use of a stiffer robotic platform as well as a stiffer EEF construction will result in better system rigidity and weld spot positioning accuracy, and through this the welding process shows promise for large-scale industrial applications.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document