Abstract
With the rise of electric vehicles, the use of battery modules, which are key units that drive vehicles, is increasing. The battery housing is the final form of a battery system mounted on electric vehicles, and is generally made of aluminum alloys, located at the bottom of the vehicle. The aluminum housing has a special shape to accommodate the battery module and is produced by welding extruded panels. This study applied friction stir welding (FSW) to weld 2.5 mm thin aluminum plates in order to improve the weldability and productivity. To increase productivity, we compared the mechanical properties after performing experiments under various FSW conditions. As a result, it was possible to derive speed-enabling welding conditions that can improve productivity without decreasing tensile strength. Deformation occurred in the structure during welding, causing gaps in the structure. Since these gaps have a significant influence on the degradation of mechanical properties after welding, the welding deformation at each step of welding must be calculated and reflected in the process. This study used the inherent strain method to calculate the deformation of each step of welding to apply automatic welding, and reduced the analysis time to 1/30 compared to the thermal elasto-plastic analysis method. Finally, this study verified the validity of the analysis method by comparing the experimental results with the numerical results using the inherent strain method.
Highlights
The demand for secondary batteries is expected to increase rapidly as electric vehicles become more popular [1,2,3]
Lightweight aluminum alloys, which provide sufficient strength, are mainly used to produce housing that protects the battery modules, which is generally located at the bottom of the vehicle
In the case of conventional aluminum alloys materials, high heat input during fusion welding causes a large degree of welding deformation and residual stress
Summary
The demand for secondary batteries is expected to increase rapidly as electric vehicles become more popular [1,2,3]. Lightweight aluminum alloys, which provide sufficient strength, are mainly used to produce housing that protects the battery modules, which is generally located at the bottom of the vehicle. In the case of conventional aluminum alloys materials, high heat input during fusion welding causes a large degree of welding deformation and residual stress. High-temperature cracks often occur in the weld due to the segregation of alloying elements or the low-melting temperature inclusions in the grain boundaries. Such high-temperature cracks are divided into solidification cracks and liquefaction
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