PERFORMANCE VARIABILITY OF ALUMINIUM HYBRID LAP-JOINTS OBTAINED BY MEANS OF ADHESIVES AND ULTRASONIC WELDING

This paper presents the first results of the running project HY-LAP (HYbrid LAP-joints) carried out at the Dipartimento di Meccanica of the Politecnico di Milano in collaboration with MUSP and the University of Parma. Thin plates of aluminium 6022T4 have been joined by means of ultrasonic welding, structural adhesives and a combination of them; the applied experimental procedures (i.e. specimens preparation) have been described and the obtained joints have been characterized in terms of morphology and tensile-shear strength. Results are particularly effective in order to evaluate the relevance of the various phenomena influencing the hybrid joining technique, allowing a deep understanding of the process and the possibility to keep it under control.