Research status and future perspectives on ultrasonic arc welding technique

Abstract

In recent years, ultrasonic arc welding technology, a novel and promising welding process, has been widely applied in the welding of steel, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, nickel base alloy and composite materials to improve the welding efficiency and quality of the welded joints. This paper reviews the research status of ultrasonic arc welding technology, systematically classifies and summarizes the process of ultrasonic arc welding in terms of different ultrasonic energy forms, and evaluates the limitations of the processes. Based on the experiment and simulation results, this paper summarizes the effect mechanisms of ultrasonic on the arc characteristics and molten pool behaviors during arc welding, namely the theories of ultrasonic vibration and electromagnetic field, and briefly discusses the association mechanism of ultrasonic vibration and electromagnetic field. Finally, we summary the systematic results supporting the association mechanism. On the one hand, ultrasonic energy leads to arc compression, which can effectively improve the arc stiffness, arc pressure and energy density, thus improving the arc thermal efficiency and welding efficiency. On the other hand, the ultrasonic stirring and mixing effects as well as the high-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field force introduced by the ultrasonic energy accelerate the thermal convection circulation and the flow of the molten pool, and affect the solidification and crystallization behavior of the molten pool, thus improving the formation, microstructure and mechanical properties of the weld. The paper aims to comprehensively review the ultrasonic arc welding process and mechanisms, and provide guidance for the future research and development in ultrasonic arc welding technique.