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Alloys

Staged Process Parameters Improve Connection Strength Between Carbon Fiber-reinforced Plastic and Aluminum Alloy

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Recent research at Tongji University has made a breakthrough in improving the connection strength between dissimilar materials, specifically carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) and 6061-T6 aluminum alloy (AA6061-T6). By applying flow drill screws (FDS) technology, the researchers have proposed a method to study the influence of FDS process parameters on the strength of the connection in stages. The study, funded by the Science & Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (STCSM), found that by optimizing the process parameters, the highest shear connection strength of 5.98 kN can be achieved.

Key Takeaways:

  • The research team at Tongji University has successfully applied flow drill screws (FDS) technology to connect dissimilar materials, carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) and 6061-T6 aluminum alloy (AA6061-T6).
  • The study proposes a method to study the influence of FDS process parameters on the strength of the connection in stages.
  • By optimizing the process parameters, the researchers found that high speed and low feed force should be selected in the second stage, low speed and low feed force should be selected in the third stage, and the tightening torque should be reasonably selected in the fourth stage.
  • The study highlights the importance of selecting the right process parameters in each stage to achieve the highest shear connection strength.
  • The experiment showed that the influence of different process parameters on the strength of the joint varies in different stages.

Statistics:

  • The highest shear connection strength achieved was 5.98 kN.
  • The study had four stages of process parameters optimization.
  • High speed and low feed force were selected in the second stage.
  • Low speed and low feed force were selected in the third stage.
  • The tightening torque should be reasonably selected in the fourth stage (no specific value provided).
  • The study was peer-reviewed.

Sources:

  • "The Effect of Staged Process Parameters for Flow Drill Screws On the Strength of the Connection Between Carbon Fiber-reinforced Plastic and Aluminum Alloy." Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part E: Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering 2025;239(5):2713-2727.
  • Science & Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (STCSM).
  • Tongji University, School of Mechanical Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
  • Haijiang Liu et al. "The Effect of Staged Process Parameters for Flow Drill Screws On the Strength of the Connection Between Carbon Fiber-reinforced Plastic and Aluminum Alloy." (2025).
  • Xing Ge et al. "The Effect of Staged Process Parameters for Flow Drill Screws On the Strength of the Connection Between Carbon Fiber-reinforced Plastic and Aluminum Alloy." (2025).
  • Zijian Yu et al. "The Effect of Staged Process Parameters for Flow Drill Screws On the Strength of the Connection Between Carbon Fiber-reinforced Plastic and Aluminum Alloy." (2025).
  • Libin Zhu et al. "The Effect of Staged Process Parameters for Flow Drill Screws On the Strength of the Connection Between Carbon Fiber-reinforced Plastic and Aluminum Alloy." (2025).

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