Ultrasonic welding of thermoplastic composites: a numerical analysis at the mesoscopic scale relating processing parameters, flow of polymer and quality of adhesion

Ultrasonic continuous welding of thermoplastic composite plates is a very promising process of particular interest for the assembly of aeronautics large parts. Its modeling and simulation however suffers from the difficulty of accounting for the very different time scales that rule the thermo-mechanical phenomena at the level of the adhesion zone. This problem was addressed in our previous works and led to an original simulation tool presented in Levy et al. (Eur J Mech A, Solids 30(4):501-509, 2011a). In this paper, the adopted time-homogenized multiphysical modeling of the flow at the mesoscopic scale of the energy directors is first presented. Then, using the numerical software in a 2D approach, an extensive numerical parametric study of the process is presented. The phenomena allowing welding are confirmed to be an initial strain concentration in the energy director, and the formation of a flowing fold. The influence of the following process parameters are finally investigated: amplitude of vibrations, holding force of the sonotrode, thickness of the plates, radius of curvature at the tip of the director, angle of the director. Process efficiency and weld quality is evaluated through simple indicators such as the equivalent stiffness analysis, the healing degree and the risk of porosity entrapment. The present study, carried at the mesoscopic scale, provides a better understanding of the complex interactions between physical and process parameters and enables to draw important technological conclusions for the design of energy directors.