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Microstructural Characterization of Aluminum Cables and Ultrasonically Welded Terminals for Electric/Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Hart, Brandon D.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1403198707

Abstract Details

2014, Master of Science in Engineering, Youngstown State University, Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.
Aluminum cables are much more cost effective and lightweight when compared to standard copper wiring. Without sacrificing conductivity, aluminum wiring can offer up to a 48% weight reduction versus copper wiring. This is particularly important in vehicle wiring, since any reduction in weight will improve fuel economy which will result in reduced carbon dioxide emissions. Although replacing copper wiring with aluminum wiring offers such advantages, it does come with its own set of challenges. One such challenge is creating successful terminal connections. Connecting aluminum cables to terminals by mechanical crimping is not nearly as effective as crimping copper cables to terminals. While crimping aluminum to terminals may work for smaller cables and wires, to connect larger aluminum cables, such as battery cables in vehicles, another method of connection should be used. A potentially effective connection alternative method is through ultrasonically welding the cables to the terminals. Ultrasonic welding is a process of joining two overlapping metal pieces by applying pressure and high frequency vibrations to them, causing dynamic shear stresses high enough for plastic deformation to occur and bond the pieces. Aluminum and aluminum alloys are one of the most easily welded structural metals by this method. Since no electrical current actually passes through the aluminum being welded, the heat of the weld is not high enough to affect the mechanical properties of the welded sample. Ultrasonic welding does have some drawbacks, such as thickness limitations, but for the cables in this project, this limitation should not be a problem. An area of particular interest in this project is the ultrasonic welding of aluminum and brass for aluminum cables/brass terminals applications in electric/hybrid electric cars. The purpose of this project is to understand the materials characteristics involved in the successful ultrasonic welding of aluminum cables to brass terminals used in electric/hybrid electric cars. In order to achieve this goal, three main research directions were pursued in this work. The first research project focused on the microstructural, chemical and surface characterization of aluminum wires to be used in manufacturing of aluminum cables for on electric/hybrid electric cars. The second project deals with the failure analysis of the ultrasonic welded aluminum cable/brass terminals. A side project was the microstructural characterization of impact modified polymers used in various applications in electric/hybrid electric vehicles. The materials to be investigated have been provided by a local company: aluminum cables (obtained for manufactures around the world), good and failed ultrasonic welded terminals, and impact modified polymers (manufactured at the local company). Materials investigation was performed using a large array of analytical instrumentation and techniques, which include optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray diffraction (XRD), focused ion beam milling (FIB), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Data analysis provided information on texture, chemistry and surface conditions (chemical composition and morphology) of the aluminum wires, the root cause of ultrasonic welding failure, as well as on the microstructure of the impact modified polymers. The results obtained in the present work might help the development of the applications of aluminum cable in electric/hybrid vehicles, in particular, and car industry, in general.
Virgil Solomon, PhD (Advisor)
Hazel Marie, PhD (Committee Member)
Pedro Cortes, PhD (Committee Member)
119 p.
Engineering; Materials Science
Ultrasonic welding; Aluminum cable; Electron microscopy; Hybrid electric vehicles

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hart, B. D. (2014). Microstructural Characterization of Aluminum Cables and Ultrasonically Welded Terminals for Electric/Hybrid Electric Vehicles [Master's thesis, Youngstown State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1403198707

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hart, Brandon. Microstructural Characterization of Aluminum Cables and Ultrasonically Welded Terminals for Electric/Hybrid Electric Vehicles. 2014. Youngstown State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1403198707.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hart, Brandon. "Microstructural Characterization of Aluminum Cables and Ultrasonically Welded Terminals for Electric/Hybrid Electric Vehicles." Master's thesis, Youngstown State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1403198707

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Youngstown State University and OhioLINK.