Experimental and numerical investigation on temperature field and joints tensile failure for CF/PPS-Al alloy interlocking induction welding

Abstract

Abstract The induction welding has been recognized as one of potential and high-efficiency joining methods for thermoplastic composite materials. In this study, a numerical simulation model with containing both induction wielding heat transfer and joint tensile failure process for CF/PPS-Al alloy interlocking induction welding was established based on software COMSOL Mulitiphysics and Abaqus/Explicit. The CF/PPS-Al7075 interlocking welding joints with special designed macro-scale interlocking were tested under tensile loads, and the corresponding single lap-shear strength, energy absorption and failure mechanisms were investigated by combining the experimental and numerical approaches. Finally, the influence of macro-scale interlocking geometric parameters on joint tensile strength was also discussed. The results indicate that the proposed model can effectively predict the temperature distribution in the welding process and the tensile failure process of the joint. It is also presented that the addition of macro-scale interlocking features can effectively improve the ultimate load (47%) and energy absorption capacity (48%) of the CF/PPS-Al alloy induction welded joints. Meanwhile, the number of addition PPS films in the welding zone and the inclination angle have greater contribution on the tensile strength of the welded joints.