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Ultrasonic welding of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites: a review

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Abstract

Ultrasonic welding is a special joining process with high joining speed and good joint strength. Compared with conventional mechanical and adhesive bonding, ultrasonic welding has many advantages for joining thermoplastic composite. In this paper, the latest advances in ultrasonic welding technology for fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites were reviewed. This paper not only compares the advantages and disadvantages of the ultrasonic welding process with other welding methods but also discusses the influence of ultrasonic welding parameters on the welding quality. The ultrasonic welding of dissimilar materials was summarized. In addition, the quality inspection and repair of ultrasonic composite welding were also discussed. Finally, the research status and development prospect of ultrasonic welding for thermoplastic composites were analyzed.

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Funding

This research work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51805416), Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by CAST (Grant No. 2019QNRC001), Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (Grant No. 2020JJ5716), Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scholars (Grant No. 2021JJ20059), and Huxiang High-Level Talent Gathering Project of Hunan Province (Grant No. 2019RS1002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Light Alloy Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Haijun Li, Chao Chen, Ruixiang Yi, Yuxiang Li & Jinliang Wu

  2. State Key Laboratory of High Performance Complex Manufacturing, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Chao Chen, Yuxiang Li & Jinliang Wu

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  1. Haijun Li
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Haijun Li and Jinliang Wu analyzed the data; Chao Chen, Haijun Li, and Ruixiang Yi contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools; Haijun Li, Chao Chen, and Yuxiang Li wrote the paper.

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Li, H., Chen, C., Yi, R. et al. Ultrasonic welding of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites: a review. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 120, 29–57 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-08753-9

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