Laser-assisted joining of AISI 304 thin sheets with polymers

Abstract

Laser-assisted metal-polymer joining gains importance in several applications due to the possibility of a direct connection between both materials. Aside from lightweight construction, a direct metal-polymer connection shows a high economic potential especially in large series production, e.g. domestic appliances. Based on this motivation, laser-assisted simultaneous joining of AISI 304 thin sheets (0.3…1.0 mm, X5CrNi18-10) with unreinforced polypropylene (PP) as well as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is carried out. Starting from a generally valid process description based on the energy per sheet thickness, the distortion as well as the mechanical properties are examined, whereby up to 17.4 MPa are reached and the tensile shear strength drops by at least 15 % during alternating climate test (-20…75 °C, 40…75 % rel. humidity). Further investigations under cyclic load showed, that long life fatigue strength (5∙106 cycles) is achieved at about 47 % of the initial tensile shear strength.