Setting Welding Punch for Fast High-Strength Stud Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing welding methods for connecting non- or poorly weldable materials with weldable materials are complex, time-intensive, and often result in poor mechanical loading capacity and lifespan due to small contact surfaces and contamination issues, especially when using stud-like welding auxiliary joining parts.
Innovation Solution
A combined setting welding device with a modular control/regulation apparatus that uses a driven punch and counter support to apply mechanical and thermal loads for stud-like welding auxiliary joining parts, allowing for a continuous mechanical-thermal setting welding process without pre-punching, ensuring a firmly-bonded connection through resistance welding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a stud-like welding auxiliary joining part is used with a small contact surface for welding, then the welding process can be performed, but the welding time is prolonged and the mechanical loading capacity is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The welding auxiliary joining part is inserted into a pre-punched hole before welding, which preliminarily positions the component and prepares the contact surface. This preliminary positioning ensures proper alignment and contact surface area during the subsequent welding process, preventing prolonged welding time and ensuring adequate mechanical loading capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft of the stud-like welding auxiliary joining part is laterally deformed after welding through compression, changing its geometric parameters. This lateral deformation creates a force-fit connection that increases the contact surface area and improves mechanical loading capacity without affecting the welding process itself.
2Reliability
If the shaft of the stud is laterally deformed after welding through compression, then a force-fit connection is achieved, but the process becomes technically complex and time-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The punching and welding operations are merged into a single integrated process. The pre-punched hole serves dual purposes: it facilitates accurate positioning of the welding auxiliary joining part and prepares the contact surface for welding. This merging eliminates the need for separate positioning and punching steps, reducing process complexity while maintaining connection reliability.
3Ease of manufacture
If the tip of the welding auxiliary joining part forms a welding spot with a very small contact surface, then welding can be performed, but the contact zone is relatively small which prolongs the welding process
Solution Approach 1:
A pre-punched hole is created before welding to preliminarily position the welding auxiliary joining part and prepare an optimized contact surface. This preliminary action ensures that the contact zone during welding has adequate surface area, preventing prolonged welding time while maintaining welding feasibility.
4Ease of manufacture
If a semi-hollow punch rivet is used as the welding auxiliary joining part, then it can be set in the component, but a waste slug is created that contaminates the welding zone and impairs weld connection quality
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful waste slug is extracted or removed from the system by using a different type of welding auxiliary joining part (solid or hollow rivet without slug formation). This eliminates the contamination source while maintaining the ease of setting the joining part in the component.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables efficient, time-saving connections with enhanced mechanical loading capacity and lifespan by creating a large contact surface for welding, reducing contamination, and optimizing operating parameters for improved connection quality.
Implementation Method 1
a driven punch 12, which is movable with a setting force of at least 5 kN, preferably at least 8 kN, against an oppositely arranged counter support 14
Implementation Method 2
the punch 12 and the counter support 14 are electrically conductive and are designed to be able to be connected with an electric current source so that the punch 12 and the counter support 14 each form a welding electrode
Implementation Method 3
subject them to a mechanical thermoforming process on a second layer 102 of material made of electrically conductive material
Implementation Method 4
connect them in a firmly-bonded manner, i.e. a positive substance connection, through a welding operation
Data Source
AI summary
A setting welding device is set forth for setting stud-like auxiliary joining parts in a plurality of layers of material and subjecting them to a mechanical-thermoforming process on a second layer of material and connecting them to said second layer by way of a welding operation. For this purpose, the punch is used to apply to the welding auxiliary joining part mechanical and thermal loads that follow prescribed characteristic force and current curves. Furthermore, a corresponding connecting method that can be realized with the aid of the setting welding device is also disclosed.