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2017 - 12 - Repairing Ultrasonic Welded Carbon Fiber - Reinforced Nylon 66 Composite
2017 - 12 - Repairing Ultrasonic Welded Carbon Fiber - Reinforced Nylon 66 Composite
2017 - 12 - Repairing Ultrasonic Welded Carbon Fiber - Reinforced Nylon 66 Composite
WELDING RESEARCH
SUPPLEMENT TO THE WELDING JOURNAL, DECEMBER 2017
Sponsored by the American Welding Society and the Welding Research Council
WELDING RESEARCH
Experimental Procedure
Materials
Commercial nylon 66 and carbon
fiber (24K, T300 type, Toray Carbon
Magic Co. Ltd.) with a length of 2 mm
(0.08 in.) were selected for this study.
Per the manufacturer’s data sheet, the
material properties of these materials
are given in Table 1.
WELDING RESEARCH
Table 2 — Mechanical Properties of InjectionMolded 4mm (i.e., 0.16in.) Thick Carbon FiberReinforced Nylon 66 Composite Coupons
with 30% Mass Carbon Fiber
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A B C D
Fig. 9 — Failure modes of repaired ultrasonic welded joints: A — Schematic of a loaded joint; B — interfacial failure mode for a repaired
partially bonded weld; C — failure through the upper workpiece; D — failure through the lower workpiece for the nominal weld.
bending stresses inherent in the testing load to the overlap area of the weld [950 lon 66 composite has poor transmis-
of single-lap weld specimens, filler mm2 (1.47 in.2)]. Three replicates were sion, it is difficult to examine the weld
plates shown in Fig. 2 were attached to performed, and the average joint microstructure using polarization mi-
both ends of the specimen using mask- strengths were reported. croscopy (Ref. 31). To assess the char-
ing tape to accommodate the sample acteristics of the weld microstructure
offset. Load vs. displacement results of the ultrasonic welded joints, the
were obtained, as the specimens were Examinations of Weld specimens were prepared following the
loaded at a stroke rate of 2.0 mm/min Microstructure illustrations shown in Fig. 4. As
(0.08 in./min). The strength of the joint shown, the joints were notched from
was evaluated by the ratio of the peak Because carbon fiber-reinforced ny- the central position of the weld. Then,
WELDING RESEARCH
A B
C D
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A B
E
Fig. 11 — A — Schematic of weld growth; B — weld area of a
discrepant weld, effect of repair energy on the weld area of the
ultrasonic weld repaired with an energy of the following: C — 3
kJ; D — 4 kJ; E — 5 kJ; F — 6 kJ.
WELDING RESEARCH
A B
D
C
Fig. 14 — Effect of repair energy on the microstructures at region 1 of the repaired ultrasonic welded carbon fiberreinforced nylon 66
composite with 0.7 mm (0.03 in.) separation between the workpieces: A — 3 kJ; B — 4 kJ; C — 5 kJ; D — 6 kJ.
study (Ref. 29). Once the discrepant were positioned to proximate the pair energy exceeded 5.0 kJ, it not
(or flawed) weld was identified, the de- weld, and an ultrasonic vibration was only increased the joint strength but
gree of the undersized welds could be applied at substantially the same loca- also reduced the scatter in joint
estimated based on the measurements tion on the existing weld using the strength. These results suggest that by
on the production line. Then, repair- same weld horn and horn pressure. applying the proper weld energy, it is
ing the discrepant or flawed welds Repaired ultrasonic welds were then feasible to repair the discrepant ultra-
could be made on or off the produc- quasi-static tested, and the results are sonic welded joints with the second ul-
tion line. shown in Fig. 8. For the purpose of trasonic pulse.
In this study, a second ultrasonic vi- comparison, the strengths of the nom- Referring to Fig. 8, the increase in
bration was applied to repair the dis- inal welds are also included in Fig. 8. joint strength with a repair energy of 5
crepant welds that had a separation of As shown, little improvement in joint kJ implied that the second ultrasonic vi-
0.7 mm (0.03 in.) between the work- strength was observed when the repair bration likely resulted in an increase in
pieces. The ultrasonic horn and anvil energy was less than 4.0 kJ. As the re- weld area by melting of the workpieces
WELDING RESEARCH
A B
at the faying surface (Refs. 32, 33). To Repair Mechanism to 5 kJ, the flash between the work-
validate this assessment, we examined pieces increased significantly. These
the failure modes of the tested speci- These results show the applied sec- results inferred that the applied sec-
mens, and the results are shown in Fig. ond vibration with the proper weld en- ond vibration melted the materials be-
9. Referring to Fig. 9, the results clearly ergy repaired the welds. In order to de- tween the workpieces.
revealed that the failure modes of the termine the correlation between the Referring to Fig. 11B, the melting
ultrasonic welds depended upon the energy required and degree of the un- materials occurred at a few spots and
weld area. While the partially bonded dersized weld, the tests were per- along the edge of the overlap at the
joints, having the weld area < 360 mm2 formed to understand the repair faying surface for a partially bonded
(0.56 in.2), failed interfacially (shown in mechanism. weld. This irregular weld clearly indi-
Fig. 9B), the fully bonded joints frac- Figures 10 and 11 present the ef- cated the workpieces were not in inti-
tured at the workpieces, referring to Fig. fect of repair energy on the weld ap- mate contact during ultrasonic weld-
9C and D. These results suggested the pearances and growth of the repaired ing. As the second vibration was ap-
weld area of the ultrasonic welded joints welds, respectively. Referring to Fig. plied to a partially bonded weld, the
affected the stress states of the joints. 10, while the weld indentation on the melting occurred at the periphery of
Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, it clearly upper workpiece deepened with an in- the undersized weld and grew with an
demonstrated the restoration in crease in repair energy, the flash be- increase in weld energy, and the weld
strength primarily resulted from an in- tween the workpieces changed little geometry changed from an irregular
crease in weld area of the welds caused when the repair energy was less than 5 shape to a more or less round shape,
by the second ultrasonic pulse. kJ. As the repair energy was increased referring to Fig. 11C–F. Figure 12
WELDING RESEARCH
C
Fig. 16 — Effect of repair energy on the thickness of upper porous
zone at region 2.
WELDING RESEARCH
indentation. As shown, the weld in- (0.03 in.) between the workpieces. The sion. Carbon 60(14): 317–325.
dentation virtually increased linearly application of the second vibration not 8. Baji, A., Mai, Y.-W., Wong, S.-C., Ab-
with the repair energy when the repair only improved the strength but also de- tahia, M., and Du, X. 2010. Mechanical be-
energy exceeded 3 kJ. These results creased the scatter in strength of the re- havior of self-assembled carbon nanotube
reinforced nylon 6, 6 fibers. Composites Sci-
suggested melting at the faying sur- paired joints.
ence and Technology 70(9): 1401–1409.
face occurred. While the application of 2. The main mechanism of repair- 9. Konishi, Y., and Cakmak, M. 2005.
second pulse increased the weld area, ing the ultrasonic welds was the in- Structural hierarchy developed in injection
it also affected the surface quality. crease in weld area caused by the melt- molding of nylon 6/clay/carbon black
Therefore, the key to restoring the ing of the materials at the periphery of nanocomposites. Polymer 46(13):
weld quality is to select the proper the existing undersized weld at the 4811–4826.
weld energy that would increase the faying surface. 10. Senthilvelan, S., and Gnanamoor-
weld area at the faying surface and 3. The presence of a separation be- thy, R. 2008. Influence of reinforcement
cause minimal degradation on the sur- tween the workpieces influenced the on composite gear metrology. Mechanism
face quality. contact of the workpieces during ultra- and Machine Theory 43(9): 1198–1209.
11. Bigg, D. M. 1985. Effect of com-
sonic welding, and consequently re-
pounding on the properties of short fiber
sulted in variations in weld area and
Summary weld strength.
reinforced injection moldable thermoplas-
tic composites. Polymer Composites 6(1):
20–28.
The results presented in this study 12. Watson, M. N., Rivett, R. M., and
Acknowledgments
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fiber composite with 30% mass. The The authors gratefully acknowledge niques. Research Report No. 301/1986.
horn, part tolerance, and clamping the financial and technical support The Welding Institute, Cambridge,
conditions reported here are not in- provided by GM Global Research and England.
dicative of conditions in vehicle as- 13. Grewell, D., and Benatar, A. 2007.
Development Center.
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structive method is needed to inspect developments. International Polymer Pro-
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WELDING RESEARCH
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LEI LU, QIAN ZHI, YUHAO GAO, and ZHONGXIA LIU (liuzhongxia@zzu.edu.cn) are with the Key Lab of Materials Physics, School of Physics and
Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China. PEICHUNG WANG is with the Manufacturing Systems Research Lab, General Motors
Research and Development Center, Warren, Mich.
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