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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

FUNDAMENTAL STUDIES ON THE MECHANISM OF ULTRASONIC WELDING. Progress Report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4204537
Studies were undertaken to determine the minimum energy required to weld aluminum, copper, iron, nickel, and titanium. The minimum energy required for welding is being obtained from shear-force and displacement measurements. The shear forces developed during ultrasonic welding were measured successfully by using an accelerometer mounted at the displacement node of the welding tip. Studies made to measure ultrasonic shear forces by attaching strain gages to the section between the welding tip and transducer were not successful because of the short fatigue life of the gages. A plate-cylinder welding system is being used because the mechanics under loads normal and tangential to its contact area have been developed. Knowing the minimum energy required for welding and the stresses involved at the weld interface, it is believed that the applicability and limitations of the ultrasonic-welding process can be determined. Studies were continued on the effect of material variables on ultrasonic welding. So far, it has been found that the weld strength of aluminum in the as-welded condition increases with degree of cold work and is the same after a postweld anneal. The weld strengths of all the aluminum samples, regardless of the degree of cold work, are the same as that of as-welded 1100-O aluminum. The weldability of aluminum does not appear to be affected by grain size. Work also is being done on the effect of yield strength on weldability. (auth)
Research Organization:
Battelle Memorial Inst., Columbus, Ohio
NSA Number:
NSA-13-022413
OSTI ID:
4204537
Report Number(s):
NP-7934
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English