Joining Technologies and Solutions for Aluminum-based Battery Case Manufacturing

Abstract

Recently, considerable research has been conducted to identify suitable replacement for aluminum material used in producing lightweight car bodies, and accordingly, various welding processes have been investigated. However, no research has been conducted to optimize joining processes through experimental comparisons of the various welding and fastening processes for the aluminum battery cases used in hybrid electric vehicle. Therefore, this study conducted a joint quality comparison of nine joining processes for the aluminum overlap welding for 1.2 mm thick Al5052-H32 material. The tested joining processes were self-piercing rivet(SPR), arc welding, refill friction stir spot welding(FSSW), laser welding, spot welding, adhesive bonding, clinching, hybrid joining, and flow drill screw(FDS). The test results were used to assess manufacturing based on OEM production guidelines for field production application. Each joining process was evaluated in terms of investment cost, joint strength, endurance, productivity, and weldability under different weight factors. The SPR was the most competitive process among the nine joining processes, and arc welding, refill FSSW, and laser welding were considered alternative choices for the joining process for aluminum-based battery case manufacturing. By contrast, adhesive bonding, resistance spot welding, hybrid welding, clinching, and FDS were determined to be challenging processes for use as primary processes.