Simulation of temperature and weld growth mechanism in ultrasonic welding of carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 66 composite: Employing the high frequency real-time horn vibration

Ultrasonic welding (UW) of carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 66 (CF/PA 66) composite is a very promising process for assembly of automobile component. Simulation of the temperature distribution and weld growth in UW process remains a difficulty issue. In this study, a high frequency sensor is equipped in the welder to collect the real-time horn vibration during UW. Then the real-time horn vibration is applied on tip of the horn and integrated into the finite element model in Abaqus. The simulation results are validated with experimental tests of temperature and weld evolution in UW of CF/PA 66. Results showed the ultrasonically welded CF/PA 66 joint made with a weld time of 2.7 s consisted of five distinct stages and the characteristics in stage 3 determined the quality of the weld. An index Q based on the amplitude and duration of T3 was proposed to evaluate the joint quality. The accuracy of Q was also verified through extensive experiments.