Ultrasonic Welding of Thermoplastic Composite Coupons for Mechanical Characterization of Welded Joints through Single Lap Shear Testing

Summary

A straightforward procedure for ultrasonic welding of thermoplastic composite coupons for basic mechanical testing is described. Key characteristics of this ultrasonic welding process are the use of flat energy directors for simplified process preparation and the use of process data for the fast definition of optimum processing conditions.

Abstract

This paper presents a novel straightforward method for ultrasonic welding of thermoplastic-composite coupons in optimum processing conditions. The ultrasonic welding process described in this paper is based on three main pillars. Firstly, flat energy directors are used for preferential heat generation at the joining interface during the welding process. A flat energy director is a neat thermoplastic resin film that is placed between the parts to be joined prior to the welding process and heats up preferentially owing to its lower compressive stiffness relative to the composite substrates. Consequently, flat energy directors provide a simple solution that does not require molding of resin protrusions on the surfaces of the composite substrates, as opposed to ultrasonic welding of unreinforced plastics. Secondly, the process data provided by the ultrasonic welder is used to rapidly define the optimum welding parameters for any thermoplastic composite material combination. Thirdly, displacement control is used in the welding process to ensure consistent quality of the welded joints. According to this method, thermoplastic-composite flat coupons are individually welded in a single lap configuration. Mechanical testing of the welded coupons allows determining the apparent lap shear strength of the joints, which is one of the properties most commonly used to quantify the strength of thermoplastic composite welded joints.

Introduction

Thermoplastic composites (TPC) have the ability to be welded, which contributes to their cost-effective manufacturing. Welding requires local heating under pressure to soften or melt the thermoplastic resin of the joining surfaces and to allow for intimate contact and subsequent inter-diffusion of thermoplastic polymer chains across the welding interface. Once molecular inter-diffusion is achieved, cooling down under pressure consolidates the welded joint. Several welding techniques are applicable to thermoplastic composites which differ mainly in the source of heat¹, however, the main "adhesion" mechanism, i.e., molecular entanglement, rem....

Protocol

1. Specimen Cutting and Preparation for Ultrasonic Welding

1. Cut rectangular samples measuring 25.4 mm x 101.6 mm from a larger thermoplastic composite laminate using a cutting technique that prevents delamination of the edges of the samples (e.g., diamond-saw or water-jet cutting).
   Note: The dimensions of the samples are based on ASTM D 1002 standard.
   1. Since strength of the welded joints depends on the fiber orientation on the surfaces to be welded¹⁰, take care to cut all the samples in the same orientation.
2. After cutting, dry samples in an oven as per the manufacturer's recommendations in case the....

Results

Carbon fiber reinforced polyetherimide (CF/PEI) samples were welded following the method described in this paper. The samples were obtained from a composite laminate made out of five-harness satin fabric CF/PEI, with (0/90)_3S stacking sequence and 1.92 mm nominal thickness. Samples were cut from this laminate so that the main apparent orientation of the fibers was parallel to their longest side. Flat PEI energy directors with 0.25 mm thickness were used. Both the composite samp.......

Discussion

The results presented in the previous section indicate the appropriateness of the straightforward method proposed in this paper for ultrasonic welding of thermoplastic composite single lap coupons for the purpose of mechanical testing. The following paragraphs discuss how the results validate the three main pillars of the method, i.e., use of flat loose energy directors, use of process feedback to define optimum duration of the vibration and use of displacement control, as well as the applicability and limitatio.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Material/Reagent
Cetex carbon fiber / polyetherimide (CF/PEI) 5 harness satin prepreg	TenCate Advanced Composites (www.tencate.com)	Contact vendor	Material used in this study for the specimens.
PFQD solvent degreaser	PT Technologies Europe (now Socomore - www.socomore.com)	Contact vendor	Solvent degreaser for cleaning the specimens and energy directors.
Cotton cloths			For general cleaning purposes. No specific vendor was used.
0.25 mm PEI film	TenCate Advanced Composites (www.tencate.com)	Contact vendor	Thin film used as energy director.
Adhesive tape	Airtech Advanced Materials Group (www.airtechintl.com)	1" x 72 yds MFG # 327402 Contact vendor for catalog number	Used to attach energy director to bottom sample for ultrasonic welding.
Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Equipment
Vötsch oven	Vötsch Industrietechnik (www.voetsch-ovens.com)	VTU 60/60 - Contact vendor for specific catalog number	Oven used to dry PEI film (energy directors) and PEI specimens before welding.
Rinco Dynamic 3000 ultrasonic welder	Aeson BV (www.aeson.nl/en/)	Contact vendor	20 kHz ultrasonic welding machine used for the welding experiments. Several sonotrode sizes available. Contact vendor for details. ACUCapture software included.
Zwick/Roell universal testing machine	Zwick (www.zwick.com)	Z250 - Contact vendor for specific catalog number	Universal testing machine with maximum load of 250 kN used for single lap shear strength measurements.