Joining of AA5052 to CF/PEEK by friction lap welding

Abstract

Abstract The joining of aluminum alloy AA5052 and carbon fiber reinforced polyether ether ketone (CF/PEEK) by friction lap welding was investigated under different conditions of surface texturing and process temperatures. The joint quality was evaluated by measurement of the tensile shear force and examination of the joint morphology. The welding experiments were conducted under different tool rotational speeds for two types of surface texturing of the aluminum alloy, namely mechanical engraving and sand blasting. The temperatures across the weld line were measured during the process of welding using thermocouples mounted at specific locations, and the temperature distribution at the interface was determined by an inverse heat conduction method. It was found that the temperatures at the interface exceeded the melting temperature of PEEK for all testing conditions, but was always below PEEK thermal degradation temperature. It was also found that joint performance of mechanically engraved samples increased with increasing the interface temperatures. This was attributed to the increased mechanical interlocking due to the flow of melted PEEK into surface features of the engraved sample. The joint strength of sand blasted samples did not change considerably with interface temperatures.