Laser transmission welding of polycarbonate: a finite element analysis

Abstract

The influence of welding speed on temperature distribution during laser transmission welding of polycarbonate was investigated in the present research work. A three-dimensional thermal model was developed to simulate the laser transmission contour welding process with a moving heat source. Temperature distribution analysis in welded joint was performed in the ABAQUS/standard solver. Power distribution of moving heat source was implemented into DFLUX subroutine, written in FORTRAN programming language. The heat input to the model is assumed to be a volumetric Gaussian heat source. Temperature dependent physical properties of the materials are taken into account during modelling. Combined heat transfer boundary condition, based on natural convection and radiation, is imposed on model exteriors, which are exposed to surroundings. Temperature distribution in the weld zone was numerically estimated. The weld strength and microstructure of the lap weld were determined experimentally. All samples were subjected to a destructive force test using universal testing machine, following the tensile test, the weld width depth was measured using microscope. The experiment result is validated by finite element method (FEM).