Abstract
The need for effective and reliable joining methods continues to grow as the use of thermoplastic composites becomes widespread. It is now possible to join large- scale components with the development of an automated sequential resistance welding process. The thermal history generated by the heating element placed at the interface be tween adherends determines the quality and performance of the welded joint. This article presents a thermal analysis for the resistance welding of large-scale components that over comes the limitations of previous models. To simulate welding of the interface, a heat gen eration term was incorporated that accounts for the Joule heating of graphite fibers in the heating element. A parametric study was conducted to investigate the influence of welding parameters and assess the uniformity of interface temperatures. Components were joined by the resistance welding process to obtain experimental verification. Regions of localized overheating where potential current leakage may occur were identified as a function of process parameters. Insights on promoting more uniform heating for the resistance weld ing process are discussed.
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