About this Abstract |
Meeting |
2024 ASC Technical Conference, US-Japan Joint Symposium, D30 Meeting
|
Symposium
|
2024 ASC Technical Conference, US-Japan Joint Symposium, D30 Meeting
|
Presentation Title |
Continuous Welding of Carbon Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Using Radio Frequency (RF) Fields |
Author(s) |
Sarmad Hassan, Surabhit Gupta, Aniruddh Vashisth |
On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Aniruddh Vashisth |
Abstract Scope |
This study presents the design and implementation of a novel welding machine that welds carbon fiber composites using Radio Frequencies (RF) at 1-200 MHz using low input powers (less than 100 W). We found that RF fields in this range can rapidly heat carbonaceous materials; this finding can be used to weld thermoplastic carbon fiber composites. The carbon fibers in the composite act as heat generators by converting the electromagnetic energy into thermal energy. Our machine is capable of creating spot welds as well as continuous welds. The machine consists of a translating stage to move the carbon fiber coupons underneath the pressure applicator, a linear actuator for applying pressure, an RF applicator and heating setup, pressure and temperature sensors, and a microcontroller to run the feedback loop. With this machine, we were able to weld carbon fiber coupons in less than 2 minutes, using less than 50 W of power. The heating in the coupons is concentrated to the weld zone, and parameters such as the rate of heating and pressure applied can be varied, resulting in tailorable weld strengths. Due to the localized nature of RF heating, energy and time requirements are low. Our machine demonstrates that automated RF welding is a promising new avenue in large-scale industrial applications that involve rapid and energy-efficient welding of carbon fiber parts. |
Proceedings Inclusion? |
Definite: Post-meeting proceedings |