A Roadmap for developing an Industrial Continuous Ultrasonic Welding Process for Thermoplastic Composites

Conference paper (2018)

Authors

F. Köhler Composite Technology Center (CTC) in Stade
B.C.P. Jongbloed Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies - Aerospace Engineering
T.M. Morgado Martins Filipe Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies - Aerospace Engineering
Axel Herrmann Composite Technology Center (CTC) in Stade
I.F. Villegas Aerospace Structures & Computational Mechanics - Aerospace Engineering
R. Benedictus Structural Integrity & Composites - Aerospace Engineering
Research Group
Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies (Aerospace Engineering) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2018 F. Köhler, B.C.P. Jongbloed, T.M. Morgado Martins Filipe, Axel Herrmann, I.F. Villegas, R. Benedictus
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Published Date

2018-10

Language

English

Reuse Rights

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Faculty

Aerospace Engineering

Department

Aerospace Structures & Materials

Research Group

Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies

Abstract

The increasing use of fibre-reinforced plastics in the aerospace industry leads to challenges in joining these materials. The traditionally used mechanical fasteners introduce damage when used in composites by disrupting the fibres. However, thermoplastic composites allow for fusion bonding processes to join parts. Ultrasonic welding has shown to be a very promising high-speed fusion-bonding technique for thermoplastic composites. At the moment, a thorough understanding of the process is required to upscale the process for industrial usage. This study focuses on defining a roadmap to develop continuous ultrasonic welding to an industrially applicable level by presenting the current state of the art, ongoing developments, requirements, and challenges.