2020 Volume 38 Issue 2 Pages 1s-5s
Welding is an important joining technology for dissimilar materials, such as metals and polymers. However, the joint strength of the welded structure and the mechanical behavior of the polymer change significantly owing to the thermal history of the polymer during the welding process. In this study, polyamide 6 (PA6) plates were welded to stainless steel (SUS304) and aluminum (A5052) plates using arc welding at different welding conditions. The effects of the welding conditions and metal type on the joint strength were investigated using the tensile tests. The experimental results demonstrated that the joint strength of the welded structure strongly depended on the thermal history of PA6. When the temperature of the metal plate exceeded the melting temperature of PA6, the joint strength increased. However, the joint strength decreased considerably when the temperature exceeded the thermal decomposition temperature of PA6. The fracture of PA6 was classified into two categories depending on the amount of heat applied to PA6, namely, fracture of interface and fracture of polymer.
