Research progress in ultrasonic welding of fiber-reinforced polymeric composites

Abstract

Compared with traditional adhesive bonding and mechanical fastening, ultrasonic welding (USW) technology provides a new economical and efficient joining method for the manufacturing of fiber-reinforced polymeric composite (FRPC) structures.USW device system, process and welding principle of FRPCs, and the influence of USW process parameters and the type of energy director (ED) on the welding quality of thermoplastic composite (TPC) joint and their mechanism was systematically analyzed, and then discusses the realization ways of thermosetting composite (TSC) USW technology and the key factors affecting the quality of TSC-TSC and TSC-TPC welded joints were discussed. The development status of continuous USW technology and equipment meet the manufacturing requirements of large and complex FRPC structures were reviewed. The engineering applications of USW technology for FRPC in foreign aviation and automotive fields are summarized. And the engineering validation of USW technology has been completed abroad, while the research of USW technology in FRFC is still in its infancy in China. Therefore, the development of the USW technology of FRTP has become one of the key technologies to realize the large-scale assembly of CFRTP components, and it is also a long-term task of the future aircraft manufacturing technology.

Keywords

• ultrasonic welding
• thermoplastic composite
• thermoset composite
• continuous ultrasonic welding
• intelligent manufacturing