Advances in joining technologies for the innovation of 21^st century lightweight aluminium-CFRP hybrid structures

Abstract

In the twenty-first century, the application of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials in the vehicle industry are growing rapidly due to lightweight, high specific strength, and elasticity. In the automobile and aerospace industries, CFRP needs to be joined with metals to build complete structures. The demand for hybrid structures has prompted research into the combination of CFRP and metals in manufacturing. Aluminium and CFRP structures combine the mechanical properties of aluminium with the superior physical and chemical properties of CFRP. However, joining dissimilar materials is often challenging to achieve. Various joining technologies are developed to produce hybrid joints of CFRP, and aluminium alloys include conventional adhesives, mechanical and thermal joining technologies. In this review article, an extensive review was carried out on the thermal joining technologies include laser welding, friction-based welding technologies, ultrasonic welding, and induction welding processes. The article primarily focused on the current knowledge and process development of these technologies in fabricating dissimilar aluminium and CFRP structures. Besides, according to Industry 4.0 requirements, additive manufacturing-based techniques to fabricate hybrid structures are presented. Finally, this article also addressed the various improvements for the future development of these joining technologies. Ultrasonic welding yields the maximum shear strength among the various hybrid joining technologies due to lower heat input. On the other hand, laser welding produces higher heat input, which deteriorates the mechanical performance of the hybrid joints. Surface pretreatments on material surfaces prior to joining showed a significant effect on joint shear strength. Surface modification using anodizing is considered an optimal method to improve wettability, increasing mechanical interlocking phenomena.

Studying the influence of friction stir welding parameters on the mechanical properties of PP/EPDM/Clay nanocomposites by response surface methodology combined with desirability function approach

“…They also investigated various joining methods for obtaining hybrid joints between carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer and aluminum alloys. 27 From the existing literature, it was observed that the FSW of different polymer nanocomposites has been reported by earlier researchers. However, there is a significant research gap for FSW of PP/EPDM/Clay nanocomposites.…”

“…They also investigated various joining methods for obtaining hybrid joints between carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer and aluminum alloys. 27…”

Laser joining of CFRTP to metal: A review on welding parameters, joint enhancement, and numerical simulation

“…Therefore, connecting CFRTP to metals and maximizing joint performance is a critical issue that has to be faced. For example, CFRTP/aluminum alloy and CFRTP/titanium alloy connection structures are usually used for wing panels, fairings, space optical benches, helicopter blades, ship hulls, and engine cowls 8 . The joints of these structures become the weakest part of the whole structural member, and the quality of the joint directly determines the fatigue strength and service life of the member.…”

Application of machine learning approaches to predict joint strength of friction stir welded aluminium alloy 7475 and PPS polymer hybrid joint

“…A detailed critical review of the FSW of metals and polymers is discussed in the authors' previous article. 14,15 From the literature, it is understood that past research focussed on feasibility studies and insights of bonding mechanisms during the joining of dissimilar materials. In the meantime, few studies explored the application of ML approaches and statistical optimization techniques for the process design of hybrid polymer and metal hybrid joints.…”