Effect of ultrasonic welding process parameters on peel strength of membranes for tents

Abstract

Ultrasonic welding is a universal, clean, and secure alternative joining method. Alternative joining technologies are used increasingly to fulfill specific functional requirements of the seam, such as fluid impermeability to achieve positive bonding during the assembly of technical textiles. In this research, the effect of important ultrasonic welding parameters on peel strength and weld seam thickness was investigated for flexible and lightweight textile material, which is a valuable innovative hybrid textile for technical applications like architectural, construction, and protective textiles. Three main welding parameters with three different levels were selected based on the preliminary test results of 6 and 12 mm welding widths, and a superimposed type of seam was applied. Light scanning microscopic images were used to examine the effective weld locations and their morphology at the joining interface. The parametric influence of ultrasonic welding technique on-seam quality and their tendencies in the relationship were analyzed. Optimized peel strength yielding parametric levels were also assessed numerically. The result shows that the optimal peel strength value was obtained at a welding speed of 2.318 m/min, power of 119.382 W, and pressure force of 349.729 N for a 12 mm welding width. The weld seam thickness had an inverse relationship with the peel strength, and a higher amount of thickness was reduced to 12 mm welding width than 6 mm. Microscopic cross-sectional image of weld seam indicated that a compressed yarn between the coating material at higher welding power and pressure force in lower welding speed. A nonlinear quadratic numerical model was developed to predict the peel strength, and their results were close to the regressed diagonal line against the actual points. The statistical analysis was carried out to show the significant effect of process parameters on peel strength, whereby the obtained results were statistically significant.