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In-Depth Characterization of Laser-Welded Aluminum-and-Copper Dissimilar Joint for Electric Vehicle Battery Connections

With advancements in the automotive industry, the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has remarkably increased in recent years. However, the EV battery, which is a vital part of the EV, poses certain challenges that limit the performance of the EVs. The joining of dissimilar materials for different c...

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Autores principales: Ali, Sajid, Shin, Joonghan
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9658164/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36363055
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma15217463
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author Ali, Sajid
Shin, Joonghan
author_facet Ali, Sajid
Shin, Joonghan
author_sort Ali, Sajid
collection PubMed
description With advancements in the automotive industry, the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has remarkably increased in recent years. However, the EV battery, which is a vital part of the EV, poses certain challenges that limit the performance of the EVs. The joining of dissimilar materials for different components affects the electrical and mechanical performances of EV batteries. Laser beam welding is a promising technique for joining Al and Cu for application in secondary battery fabrication because of the precise control over heat input and high process speed. However, the production of Al–Cu joints remains challenging because of the differences between their thermal and metallurgical properties and the resulting formation of brittle and hard intermetallic compounds, which reduce mechanical and electric properties. Thus, it is vital to characterize the weld to improve joint performance and enhance the laser welding process. This study investigates the joining of an Al alloy (AA1050) with Ni-coated Cu using a continuous-wave Yb fiber laser. The evaluation of the weld morphology showed a correlation between the weld characteristics and process parameters (laser power and welding speed). The weld interface width and penetration depth into the lower sheet (Cu) both increased with increasing heat input. Optical microscopy of the weld cross-section revealed many defects, such as voids and cracks. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was employed to examine the weld microstructure. The composition analysis revealed the presence of mixed morphology of Al–Cu eutectic alloy (α-Al+Θ-Al2Cu) phase in the form of dendrites in the weld fusion zone with traces of the highly brittle Al4Cu9 phase at a high heat input condition. Furthermore, the electrical contact resistance of the weld seam was measured to determine the correlation between heat input and resistance. In addition, Vickers microhardness measurements were performed on the weld cross-section to validate the SEM/EDS results.
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spelling pubmed-96581642022-11-15 In-Depth Characterization of Laser-Welded Aluminum-and-Copper Dissimilar Joint for Electric Vehicle Battery Connections Ali, Sajid Shin, Joonghan Materials (Basel) Article With advancements in the automotive industry, the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has remarkably increased in recent years. However, the EV battery, which is a vital part of the EV, poses certain challenges that limit the performance of the EVs. The joining of dissimilar materials for different components affects the electrical and mechanical performances of EV batteries. Laser beam welding is a promising technique for joining Al and Cu for application in secondary battery fabrication because of the precise control over heat input and high process speed. However, the production of Al–Cu joints remains challenging because of the differences between their thermal and metallurgical properties and the resulting formation of brittle and hard intermetallic compounds, which reduce mechanical and electric properties. Thus, it is vital to characterize the weld to improve joint performance and enhance the laser welding process. This study investigates the joining of an Al alloy (AA1050) with Ni-coated Cu using a continuous-wave Yb fiber laser. The evaluation of the weld morphology showed a correlation between the weld characteristics and process parameters (laser power and welding speed). The weld interface width and penetration depth into the lower sheet (Cu) both increased with increasing heat input. Optical microscopy of the weld cross-section revealed many defects, such as voids and cracks. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was employed to examine the weld microstructure. The composition analysis revealed the presence of mixed morphology of Al–Cu eutectic alloy (α-Al+Θ-Al2Cu) phase in the form of dendrites in the weld fusion zone with traces of the highly brittle Al4Cu9 phase at a high heat input condition. Furthermore, the electrical contact resistance of the weld seam was measured to determine the correlation between heat input and resistance. In addition, Vickers microhardness measurements were performed on the weld cross-section to validate the SEM/EDS results. MDPI 2022-10-25 /pmc/articles/PMC9658164/ /pubmed/36363055 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma15217463 Text en © 2022 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Ali, Sajid
Shin, Joonghan
In-Depth Characterization of Laser-Welded Aluminum-and-Copper Dissimilar Joint for Electric Vehicle Battery Connections
title In-Depth Characterization of Laser-Welded Aluminum-and-Copper Dissimilar Joint for Electric Vehicle Battery Connections
title_full In-Depth Characterization of Laser-Welded Aluminum-and-Copper Dissimilar Joint for Electric Vehicle Battery Connections
title_fullStr In-Depth Characterization of Laser-Welded Aluminum-and-Copper Dissimilar Joint for Electric Vehicle Battery Connections
title_full_unstemmed In-Depth Characterization of Laser-Welded Aluminum-and-Copper Dissimilar Joint for Electric Vehicle Battery Connections
title_short In-Depth Characterization of Laser-Welded Aluminum-and-Copper Dissimilar Joint for Electric Vehicle Battery Connections
title_sort in-depth characterization of laser-welded aluminum-and-copper dissimilar joint for electric vehicle battery connections
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9658164/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36363055
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma15217463
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