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Metal-composite sandwich panels consist of two thin solid metal plates with in between a synthetic material (e.g. polyethylene), glued under high pressure. The metal plates, together with the plastic core, form a kind of sandwich plate. Different types of metals are used; mainly aluminium, but also stainless steel, coated steel, brass, titanium etc.
The surface of aluminium sandwich plates is extremely flat, corrosion-free and has a low coefficient of expansion. The stiff aluminium sandwich plates combine these properties with excellent ink printing. This makes them ideally suited for stylish applications, such as advertising pillars, stand construction, advertising boards and displays.
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The INNOJOIN project provides insight in new modern welding technologies for welding of dissimilar sheet metals and helps companies to identify the most suitable welding technology for their products. During the project, a few representative cases were developed, based on the input of the participating companies.
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JOIN’EM project addresses the increasing requirements of industrial enterprises to weld dissimilar materials. By allowing joining of copper to aluminium by electromagnetic fields, the project will provide increased performance, efficiency as well environmental benefits to Europe’s industry.
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Future products will have the right material at the right place and joining is a very critical part within this context. For structural engineers from the transport, mechanical engineering and consumer and construction product sectors, unique products – with regard to performance, weight or functionality – can only be achieved by linking an optimum design to advanced production techniques.
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Global trends are forcing industry to manufacture lighter, safer, more environmentally, more performant and cheaper products. In the automotive industry, weight reduction is pursued and in this regard, lightweight materials such as composites offer the most suitable solution due to their considerably lower density. In view of this, multi-material designs exploit the material with desired properties for each part of the automotive component. However, the need for the next generation of novel hybrid metal-composite components brings along major challenges regarding the joints between different material types. This is the driving force behind the MetalMorphosis research project, which was carried out at the Belgian Welding Institute in collaboration with 8 European research and industrial partners.
This article first presents a short overview of the objectives targeted in the MetalMorphosis research project. Subsequently, the joining design concepts developed and research related to the hybrid metal-composite tubular and sheet joints using the electromagnetic pulse technology, will be addressed. Finally, the development of a brake pedal and a shock absorber, both consisting of metal-composite hybrid components, is highlighted.
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Magnetic pulse welding is a new, very innovative but nearly unknown production process. The working principle of the welding process is based on the use of electromagnetic forces to deform and to weld workpieces. Since this sophisticated welding process doesn't use heat to realise the weld, it offers important advantages with regard to the conventional welding techniques!
