Influence of Horn Misalignment on Weld Quality in Ultrasonic Welding of Carbon Fiber/Polyamide 66 Composite

In this study, the influence of horn axial misalignment on the quality of ultrasonic welded lapped carbon-fiber/polyamide 66 composite (C f /PA 66) was investigated.An analytical model was derived to estimate the energy absorption in the welding zone of the thermoplastic material and, consequently, permit the estimation of weld size.Using this model, the effect of the horn misalignment on the weld size was examined and validated.Results of the modeling and experiments showed the horn misaligned by more than 4 deg resulted in a significant decrease in weld area, weld strength, and cosmetic quality, which was mainly attributed to the energy deviation at the faying surfaces.This study provides a good understanding of the influence of horn misalignment on the quasi-static characteristics of the ultrasonic welded carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide 66 composite.