Aero-Defence structures fabricated by resistive implant welding of long fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites

Plane

Problem: A TWI industrial member required the fabrication of composite components for ballistic testing. The material was a newly developed thermoplastic resin incorporating long fibre reinforcement. A fabrication technique was sought to construct 3.2m long crates in a one-shot hermetic sealing process.

Solution: A feasibility study was conducted to compare the relative merits of heated tool to resistive implant welding in terms of mass production capability, production speed and joint strength.

Result: The heated tool welds produced far superior joint strengths in comparison to the resistive implant welds. The behaviour of the fibres during welding and the importance of having sufficient thermoplastic resin at the interface of the metallic implant between composite panels were highlighted during the trials.

For more information relating to thermoplastic composites contact aerospace@twi.co.uk.

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