Texture and intermetallic compounds of the Cu/Al dissimilar joints by high power ultrasonic welding

The welded joints of copper (Cu) to aluminum (Al) were increasingly being used for electric vehicle battery applications. To better understanding the interface connection mechanism of the Cu/Al joints produced by high power ultrasonic welding (HUSW), the texture and intermetallic compounds of Cu/Al HUSW joints were systematically investigated. The grain morphology and size of pure copper along welding interface had little change with the increasing welding time, whereas the microstructure of aluminum alloy changed from elongated grains to equiaxed grains and the grain size increased rapidly at the welding time from 0.3 s to 0.5 s. The texture intensity of both copper and aluminum alloy decreased at first owing to ultrasonic softening and then increased due to the shear work hardening. The texture type of the copper had little change, whereas the gaussian texture {110}(110) and the cubic rotation texture{001}(110) were formed in aluminum alloy owing to the occurrence of recrystallization driven by the severe shear deformation. The formation mechanism and accelerated growth behavior of intermetallic compounds at the welding interface during HUSW were discussed based on the atom rapid diffusion and the effective thermal formation model.

Automated summary

This study systematically investigated the microstructure and intermetallic compounds of Cu/Al joints produced by high power ultrasonic welding (HUSW). The research found that the welding time had little effect on the grain morphology and size of pure copper, but had a significant impact on the aluminum alloy. Moreover, the texture characteristics of copper and aluminum alloy also changed during the welding process.