Electrofusion Welding Process Optimization Using a Coupled Numerical and Experimental Approach
Résumé
In the water and gas distribution industry, electrofusion is one of the main techniques used for welding polyethylene pipes. In order to help understanding the origin of some defects discovered recently and to optimize and predict the welding quality, we developed a coupled numerical and experimental approach. Our numerical model, that computes a weld quality index based on molecular interdiffusion, is able to reasonably well predict whether welding will occur or not depending on the welding conditions imposed.