Spot Joining Research Articles

Research advances in fatigue performance of spot joining technology for lightweight materials

Research advances in fatigue performance of spot joining technology for lightweight materials

Engineering a superamphiphilic surface for enhanced interfacial bonding in metal-polymer hybrid structure

Insufficient wetting of polymer due to its poor compatibility with metals leads to non-intimate interfacial mutual contact during the thermal-direct bonding process, thus hindering the establishment of effective mechanical interlocking and substantial chemical bonding at the interface, resulting in deficient performance of metal-polymer hybrid structures. To achieve high-quality bonding between non-polar ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and Ti6Al4V titanium alloy (TC4) for the application of artificial joint prostheses, this study innovatively engineered a superamphiphilic (simultaneously superhydrophilic and superlipophilic) TC4 surface, which was achieved through a morphology-chemistry dual regulation strategy. This pretreatment strategy aimed at improving the interfacial compatibility between in-situ oxidized UHMWPE and TC4 and ensuring intimate contact between these two materials during thermal-direct bonding, thus facilitating chemical reactions and mechanical interlocking at the interface. Defect-free and ultra-high-performance TC4-UHMWPE hybrid joints were successfully obtained via friction spot joining (FSpJ) with the lap shear strength reaching 18.05 MPa (higher than all those similar hybrid joints reported in existing literature) and the fracture was confined to the UHMWPE matrix, effectively avoiding interfacial failure. The formation of chemical bonds in the form of COTi at TC4/UHMWPE interface was solidly confirmed based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) analyses. This research presents a compelling strategy for improving interfacial compatibility between polymer and metal for thermal-direct bonding, to overcome the general difficulties in achieving effective interfacial bonding between these two categories of materials with significantly different physiochemical properties.

Direct spot joining of thin gauge aluminum alloy to stainless steel and joint performance in a corrosion environment

Direct joining of aluminum alloy and steel sheets offers a great potential for achieving effective structural lightweighting for transportation systems. The major challenge is how to avoid the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs), which can be detrimental to joint load capacity and corrosion resistance. This paper presents a friction-based direct solid-state joining method for welding thin aluminum alloy (AA6061-T6) to stainless steel (316). Using a flat head friction heating tool, high quality interfacial bonding was achieved under a spot time of 20s and 1000 rpm without detrimental IMCs. The effects of an automotive-relevant corrosion environment condition on joint strengths were then examined through mechanical testing. The test results show that aluminum and stainless-steel spot joints produced by the proposed method exhibit no corrosion-induced damage or cracking nor any noticeable reduction in strengths, resulting in dominantly ductile failure mode.

Cold spot joining of high-strength steel sheets

A novel solid-state joining method, called cold spot joining (CSJ), has been successfully developed. In this method, the material near the joining interface undergoes plastic deformation under high pressure, forming a joining interface, while oxide layers at the interface are fragmented and expelled to the exterior. High-strength steel sheets (HSS) with strengths of 780 MPa were joined under various conditions. The joining temperature can be adjusted by applying pressure during CSJ. Applying suitable pressure results in solid-state joining, and microstructural observations, alongside fracture morphology, indicate that the formation of a brittle structure was effectively prevented. Furthermore, cross-tensile strength measurements were conducted on steel sheets of varying strength grades, ranging from 270 to 1180 MPa and exhibited that the cross-tensile strength increased with increasing tensile strength.

Optimizing joint structure and performance in friction spot joining of aluminum alloy AA6061 and poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK)

This study investigated the challenge of joining poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) to aluminum alloy AA6061 through friction spot joining (FSpJ), by examining the impact of surface treatment of AA6061 sheets and analyzing various process parameters' effects on joint interface morphology, tensile-shear strength, and failure. Results indicated a peak interface temperature may reach 400 °C during FSpJ, with a 0.5–0.9 mm molten PEEK layer containing sealed bubbles. Notably, Boehmite treatment significantly improved joint strength, although the primary failure occurred in the PEEK base material. An optimization through response surface method (RSM) analysis identified plunging depth as the most influential factor in joint strength, and a peak load of 4576 N with an optimized combination of pin rotation speed, plunging depth, and dwell time was achieved. Using optimized process parameters, strong PEEK-AA6061 joints can be formed, and the approach is extendable to joining other metallic and polymeric materials.

Spot Joining of PVC to Aluminum Sheets via Cold Forward Extrusion

Spot Joining of PVC to Aluminum Sheets via Cold Forward Extrusion

Achieving high strength friction lap spot joints of carbon fiber reinforced thermosetting composite to aluminum alloy with additional thermoplastic interlayer

The dissimilar materials of the 5182-aluminum alloy and continuous carbon fiber reinforced bismaleimide (CF-BMI) were joined by friction lap spot joining (FLSJ) directly and via the addition of the polyamide 6 (PA6) interlayer, and the effect of interlayer on the joining mechanism and the joint mechanical property was investigated. It was found that no effective joints were achieved by FLSJ directly, which was mainly attributed to the poor re-forming ability and liquidity of the thermosetting BMI, and its difficulty in reacting to metals. After the addition of the PA6 interlayer, the effective dissimilar joints were successfully realized by FLSJ. The maximum average tensile shear force of the joint reached 3.68 kN, with the average normal tensile shear strength of 20.9 MPa at the optimum parameter with the rotation rate of 2000 rpm, dwell time of 7 s, plunge depth of 0.7 mm and the PA6 interlayer of 0.3 mm. A new COAl chemical bond was found at the interface of the PA6 interlayer and aluminum alloy, which was the result of the chemical reaction between the amide polar function of PA6 and surface oxide of aluminum alloy. The great increase in the joint strength by the addition of the PA6 interlayer was mainly attributed to the great reduction of the interface defects and the formation of the chemical bonding, as the result of the great improvement of the interface fluidity and chemical reaction ability of PA6. This study provides an effective way to achieve high strength metal/continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermosetting composite joints.

Development of a cold spot joining method that enables sound joining of carbon steel below the A1 temperature

A novel solid-state joining method, which we call cold spot joining (CSJ), was successfully developed. In this joining concept, the material in the vicinity of the interface is plastically deformed using high pressure to form the joining interface, and impurities at the interface are expelled to the outside. Medium-carbon steel sheets were joined using the CSJ method under various process conditions. The joining temperature can be modified by the pressure applied during CSJ. Microstructural observations and hardness distributions revealed that proper pressurisation led to a joining temperature below the A1 point and prevented the formation of brittle martensitic phase. A sound S45C joint showing plug rupture at the base metal under both tensile shear and cross-tension tests was successfully fabricated by providing appropriate applied pressure and energising conditions.

The Behaviour of Hybrid Aluminium-Steel Resistance Spot Welded Joints in Case of Dynamic Loading

Hybrid joints between aluminium and steel are used sometimes in case of thin sheets for example for a car body. Resistance welding for this joining challenge is not frequently used, but the resistance welded joints basically have good mechanical properties. During resistance spot joining of these hybrid joints, fusion between the two materials cannot occur, but with the right technological parameters an intermetallic compound (IMC) appears in the joint line. The properties of the IMC have significant effect to the joint properties, because the researchers basically investigate this. The original static mechanical tests can show good, comparable results for the joint properties. If we see the dynamic tests basically really difficult to find results in case of spot welding of steels and joining of hybrid aluminium – steel joints. The aim of this paper to show the dynamic properties of these hybrid joints. During our investigation DP600 dual-phase steel was used as the steel part because this grade is frequently used in a car chassis. For the aluminium part, two types of aluminium were applied: non-heat treatable 5754-H22 alloy, and heat-treatable 6082-T6 alloy. The different aluminium alloys have different properties, so different technological parameter combinations were used. To test the resistance of hybrid joints against dynamic loading, instrumented impact tests were performed. This special impact test is considered as an impact-bending test, because the load is perpendicular to the welded point joint. Force – time diagrams of impact tests were shown too in this paper. The intermetallic compound is necessary for joint, but it is very brittle with very big hardness, but in case of dynamic testing this hardness has no significant effect, so these specimens show good result in case of dynamic loading. The two different aluminium – steel joints show different resistance against dynamic loading, and the fracture modes were different too.

Elucidation of interface joining mechanism of aluminum alloy/dual-phase steel friction stir riveting (FSR) joint

The mixed use of aluminum (Al) alloy and high strength steel (HSS) is an effective way to reduce the weight of vehicles, which meanwhile brings great challenges to the traditional spot joining technologies. Three-stage friction stir riveting (FSR) process using a precisely designed semi-hollow rivet was developed for Al-steel joining. By coordination control the rotation and feed movement of the rivet, a “tube-sheet” annular solid-phase welding zone is formed between the semi-hollow rivet and the lower steel sheet, realizing the reliable joining of Al-steel dissimilar sheets combination. The rivet structure was designed to accommodate the trapped Al alloy in the rivet cavity during the friction welding stage, obtaining an inclusion-free friction welding interface which was not only mechanically mixed but also fully interatomic binding. The optimal FSR joint is composed of ferrite softening zone (FSZ), carbide precipitation zone (CPZ), ultrafine martensite zone (UMZ), and fine dual-phase zone (FDPZ). Moreover, due to the circumferential flow of materials during friction welding stage, the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) microstructures of the rivet and steel sheet both have shear texture consistent with {112}<111> and {110}<001> cube texture, which brings the uniformity of microstructure and performance. With the combined contribution of inclusion-free joining interface and the microstructure with uniform cube texture, the optimal FSR joints have the maximum average tensile-sheer strength of 281.1 MPa (90.7%·σ6061-T6) and peak load of 5.29 kN, presenting pull-out fracture mode with good fracture energy absorption.

Thermo-mechanical simulation of friction spot joining of aluminum alloys to short glass fiber-reinforced PPS

Thermo-mechanical simulation of friction spot joining of aluminum alloys to short glass fiber-reinforced PPS

Development of an automated reconfigurable robotic airplane fuselage panel final assembly system using state-of-the-art automation technologies

ABSTRACT Airspace companies regularly incorporate state-of-the-art automation technologies into their aircraft assembly systems to reduce lead times and manufacturing costs and improve product quality in their assembly plants. Rapid advances in assembly automation, robotics, material handling, measurement in the assembly processes, and systematic design methodologies require constant consideration of new applications and technologies in assembly systems’ design studies for airplane structures such as fuselage panels. Such a design study is performed in this study to enable the formation of an automated, reconfigurable and robotic fuselage panel final assembly system. The authors’ extensive review of the literature and catalogs reveals that stringer positioning robots, 3D projection devices for fastener position controls on the panels, reconfigurable fixtures for holding the panels, mobile refill friction stir spot joining robots to assemble clips to frames, robotic measurement systems, and modular crane for material handling can be used as state-of-the-art automation technologies in an automated and reconfigurable fuselage panel final assembly system. The proposed automated, reconfigurable, and robotic fuselage panel final assembly system provides an increase in its performance of adaptation level to the changes in the panel types, customers’ order quantities, and suppliers’ and customers’ delivery dates.

Improving bonding strength of Al/CFRTP hybrid joint through modifying friction spot joining tools

Pinless friction spot joining (FSpJ) has proven to be a competitive friction-based joining technique for fabricating metal/carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics hybrid joints. The present study investigated the feasibility of tool modification to improve the property of the silane-coated 6061-T6 Al alloy and carbon fiber-reinforced polyamide-6 (CF/PA6) FSpJ joint. The interfacial structure, bonding strength and fracture surface of the joints obtained by four tools, viz, old flat (OT), new flat (NT), concave-shaped (CT) and ring-shaped tools (RT) with different rotation speeds, were analyzed and compared. An experimentally validated three-dimensional finite element model was also built to help understand FSpJ process. Despite modifying the tool shape, covalent bonding predominated the interfacial bonding force where the formation of nanoscale diffusion layers was witnessed with no new type of covalent bonds generated. The resultant fracture surface was dominated by the cohesive failure mode, suggesting strong chemical bonding between the re-solidified resin and silanized Al surface. The decrease in tensile shear force in the case of NT was due to the extensive formation and coalescence of microscale voids and porosities. This was mitigated by using CT and RT tools, from which the heat input was controlled leading to a more homogenized heat field. From the combined evaluation of thermal process and mechanical characteristics, CT tool was recommended for the FSpJ of Al and CF/PA6 because it offered a more uniform temperature distribution and improved macro-mechanical interlocking at the interface with good wetting conditions, sufficient chemical reaction and effective joining area, and lower tensile residual stresses, in comparison with other tools, and hence showed the highest shear force.

Single-sided friction riveting process of aluminum sheet to profile structure without prefabricated hole

Aluminum profile structures are extensively used in the transportation industry and pose a considerable challenge to single-sided spot joining technologies. The widely used Huck BOM® riveting process requires prefabricated holes and thus significantly increases cost and reduces efficiency. In this study, a novel single-sided friction riveting (SSFR) process with an internal-threaded semi-tubular rivet is proposed to realize a screwed-solid state hybrid joining of aluminum sheet to profile structure without prefabricated holes. The results show that the upper trapped metal is welded with the lower profile structure under the thermal-mechanical coupled action generated by rivet stirring. The internal thread could facilitate material filling into the rivet cavity and form a mechanical interlock, so as to realize the single-sided joining between the sheet and the profile without prefabricated holes. The one-stage SSFR process could form shear texture and promote continuous dynamic recrystallization, but lead to excessive material softening and internal cracking. A two-stage process including friction softening and screw tightening could better coordinate the effects of heat and force, thereby avoiding cracking and refining grains in the stirring zone. Finally, the tensile-shear and cross-tension peak loads were respectively improved by 9.0 % and 29.3 %, compared to the joints with one-stage process and non-structural rivet.

Flat friction spot joining of aluminum alloy to carbon fiber reinforced polymer sheets: Experiment and simulation

The Al alloy and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) hybrid structures, incorporating the performance advantages of the two materials, have been attracting more attention in high-end manufacturing fields. In the current investigation, the flat friction spot joining (FSJ) was employed in joining the AA6061-T6 alloy and CFRP sheets. The significance of temperature distribution in influencing joint quality was highlighted through analyzing interface microstructural features, weld defect formation as well as fractography. To understand the role of thermal energy generation and conduction in the process comprehensively, a 3D thermal-mechanical coupling finite element model was established. The interfacial temperature was characterized by an uneven distribution behavior due to the inhomogeneous heat distribution. The peak temperatures on the top surface and Al alloy to CFRP interface at 1500 rpm rotational speed with 0.1 mm/s plunging speed were 498 °C and 489 °C, respectively. The peak interface temperature was reduced to 286 °C at 250 rpm, which produced an extremely small melted area. Compared with the plunging speed, rotational speed was found to be the predominant parameter for determining the joint property, which could be optimized to simultaneously realize the avoidance of thermal decomposition of CFRP, the sufficient melting duration time, and the wide enough melted area. Simulated thermal histories and melted area profiles were in agreement with experimental ones. The findings could be utilized to provide some feasible guidance for process optimization of dissimilar FSJ of metals and composites.

Friction Spot Lap Joining of Aluminum Alloy AA6061 to Pre-Holed and Threaded Carbon Steel AISI 1006

This work addresses to joining aluminum alloy AA6061 to carbon steel AISI 1006 sheets using the friction spot joining technique. The steel sheets were pre-holed and threaded with an internal M6 thread. The joining process was carried out by extruding the aluminum through the steel hole and thread using a rotating tool with friction between the tool and aluminum. Three process parameters were used: pre-heating time, rotating speed and plunging depth of the tool, with four levels for each parameter. The results indicated that the two materials joined by a micro-scale mechanical interlock at an interface line of a width ranged between &lt;i&gt;0.7&lt;/i&gt; to ~ &lt;i&gt;2.5 mm&lt;/i&gt;. The joint’s shear force reached a minimum and maximum value of &lt;i&gt;2000&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;2500 N&lt;/i&gt;, respectively. The plunging depth was the most effective factor affecting the amount of the extruded aluminum and the joint’s shear force.

Effect of configuration of insert material on the strength of friction lap spot dissimilar material joint by using insert material

The authors have already clarified that it is possible to join CFRP and Al alloy by using friction lap spot joining, which is an application of friction lap joint to spot joining, by using an insert material. In this study, in order to clarify the effect of insert material shape on the joint strength of friction lap joined dissimilar metal joints using insert materials, the strength of joints using mesh-shaped PET and joints using flat plate PET was evaluated by maximum tensile shear test. The maximum tensile shear load of joint using mesh-shaped PET as insert material was significantly lower than that of joint using flat plate PET. On the other hand, the apparent joining area increased significantly in joints using a mesh shape as an insert material. It is considered that the molten PET flows relatively freely to fill the gaps in the lattice, increasing the apparent joining area.

Friction Spot Joining of AA6061 to Pre-holed Pure Copper Sheets with a Snap Rivet Head Die

This work aims to join AA6061 to Copper sheets using friction spot joining technique without formation of intermetallic compounds (IMCs). Aluminium (Al) sheets were arranged with a lap joint configuration over a pre-holed copper sheet. A snap die was used under the copper specimen. A rotating tool was utilized to carry out the joining technique by friction at the common surface between the tool shoulder and Al surface. Three process parameters were selected to study its influence on the joint quality: rotating speed, pre-heating time, and plunging depth of the tool. Two materials were joined by extruding the Al metal through the copper hole, and forming a rivet head. The results indicated the two materials joined by mechanical interlock at an interface line of a micro-scale, without forming IMCs or presence of defects like cracks, voids or gaps. The extruded aluminium through the rivet head die prevented pull-outing the joint. The plunging depth of the tool exhibited the highest influence on the joint’s shear force which recorded a maximum value of 1800N.

Numerically modelled study of the plunge stage in friction stir spot welding using multi-tiered mesh partitions

Friction stir spot welding is a solid-state joining process that has attracted significant attention particularly in the field of joining of lightweight, low melting alloys. These materials include alloys of Aluminium and Magnesium amongst many others which are of great importance to the aerospace and the automobile industries. The friction stir spot welding is a complex thermo-mechanical multiphysics phenomenon and is currently a field of intense research. The motivation of the current study is to understand this complex behaviour of the joining process by simulating it in the ABAQUS CAE environment. In the friction stir spot joining technique, the plunge stage is identified as the critical stage of operation as it involves a highly transient and dynamic zone for material and temperature flows. The plunge stage was studied in detail using the finite element based model. The plasticity of the material was simulated by the Johnson-Cook material model while the frictional heat generation was captured by applying a penalty-based frictional contact between the rotating tool and the workpiece contact surfaces. Considering the reasonable assumptions made, the results obtained by the numerical simulation model were found to agree with the past experimental and numerically modelled studies.

Assessment of dissimilar joining between metal and polymer hybrid structure with different joining processes

In this century, innovation and technology are required to fabricate the hybrid joint of metal and polymers. Due to their lightweight and anti-corrosion properties, the mixed components are increasingly used to produce lightweight hybrid structures such as aerospace and automobiles. It is essential to develop welding techniques for joining dissimilar materials and instead use them in engineering structures. The bonding mechanism of the weld joint has varied depending upon the welding process. In the present review, the bonding mechanism of various hybrid joints like Friction stir welding (FSW), Friction stir spot joining, Friction riveting, laser welding, ultrasonic welding and induction welding is discussed in detail. The defects observed in the different welding process is discussed in details. The mechanical properties and microstructure analysis of different hybrid joints are reviewed in detail for a different combination of hybrid joints.