Calculation and Joint Performance in Steel/Al/Steel High-power Ultrasonic Welding Process

doi:10.3901/JME.260499

Abstract

Abstract: Steel/aluminum/steel welded joints are extensively utilized in lightweight automotive applications, but welding it is challenging. Consequently, sound steel/Al/steel welded joints are crucial for achieving automotive lightweighting. A steel/Al/steel ultrasonic welding explicit dynamic model consistent with actual welding conditions was established using LS-DYNA software with 6061-T6 aluminum alloy and DC04 low carbon steel as welding specimens. The vibration displacement of the sonotrode was defined as the initial condition input into the model. The vibration amplitude, temperature field, and plastic strain distribution of the specimens during ultrasonic welding were investigated. The mechanical properties of the steel/Al/steel joints were also proposed. The results indicate that during the welding process, the vibration energy of the sonotrode is synchronously transmitted to the aluminum alloy and the lower specimen. The fluctuation of the upper specimen displacement is similar with the middle aluminum specimen, but there is a significant difference compared to the lower specimen. At the initial of welding, the upper specimen and the middle aluminum specimen gradually deviate from their equilibrium position with a small amplitude. After a welding time of 0.2 s, the average amplitude of the upper specimen, middle aluminum workpiece, and lower workpiece increased, reaching 63.0%, 38.9%, and 10.2% of the vibration amplitude of the sonotrode, respectively. The higher amplitude of the upper specimen results in higher temperature and plastic deformation at the upper steel/Al interface compared to the lower steel/Al interface. The thickness of the intermetallic compound layer is 1.52 μm at the upper steel/Al interface and 1.07 μm at the lower steel/Al interface, respectively. The tensile shear force at the upper steel/Al joint is 3.6 kN, indicating a weld nugget pull-out fracture; the tensile-shear force at the lower steel/Al joint is 3.1 kN, and the joint fractures at the interface. The fracture mode of steel/Al/steel ultrasonic welded joints are ductile-brittle hybrid fracture. The results provide guidance for further advancing lightweight automotive applications.

Key words: ultrasonic welding, steel/aluminum/steel laminated structures, vibration displacement, joint performance

CLC Number:

TP453

LI Huan, LI Jun, WANG Shanlin, GAO Zhenze, ZHANG Changxin, CHEN Yuhua. Calculation and Joint Performance in Steel/Al/Steel High-power Ultrasonic Welding Process[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2026, 62(10): 170-178.

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URL: http://www.cjmenet.com.cn/EN/10.3901/JME.260499

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