Benchmarking and Refining the Vaporizing Foil Actuator Spot Welding Process

• DOI: 10.17877/de290r-16995
• Publication Date: 2016-04-27
• Authors: Anupam Vivek; Scott Wright; B. C. Liu; S. Hansen; Ryan Brune; Brian Thurston; G. A. Taber; T. Lee; Yu Mao; Taylor Dittrich; Glenn S. Daehn
• Keywords: Spot welding

Impact spot welding implemented by the vaporizing foil actuator method has been studied. With significantly lower input energy levels as compared to resistance welding, similar and dissimilar lap of aluminium alloys (AA) types 5052 7075 was implemented. The welds between 2 mm thick AA5052 2.3 AA7075 were created with 4 kilojoules energy, whereas 1 sheets required only 0.6 kilojoules. Flyer sheet velocities approximately 750 m/s measured a PDV system. Microhardness measurements, performed across weld interfaces, showed no softening base materials due process. A few distinct configurations investigated for improving process feasibility obtaining highest possible strength. Lap shear tests pry revealed that configuration starting geometry greatly affected quality.