Ultrasonic welding of carbon/epoxy and carbon/PEEK composites through a PEI thermoplastic coupling layer

Irene Fernandez Villegas*, Regis van Moorleghem

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

64 Citations (Scopus)
82 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This paper investigates welding of carbon/epoxy and carbon/PEEK composites using the following procedure. Firstly, the carbon/epoxy composite was made “weldable” through a very thin PEI thermoplastic film co-cured on its surface. During the curing cycle, the PEI resin and the components of the epoxy resin system partially diffused into each other generating a gradient interphase between the original epoxy and PEI resins. Subsequently, the carbon/PEEK composite adherend was welded onto the PEI-rich surface of the weldable carbon/epoxy adherend, exploiting the total miscibility between PEI and PEEK. Thermal degradation of the carbon/epoxy adherend during the welding process was avoided via the ultra-short heating times enabled by the ultrasonic welding technology. In this research, mechanical testing was used to evaluate the weld strength relative to reference joints. Additionally, cross-section scanning electron microscopy was used to assess the morphology of the PEI/epoxy interphase before and after the welding process.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)75-83
Number of pages9
JournalComposites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing
Volume109
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2018

Keywords

  • A. Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs)
  • A. Thermoplastic resin
  • A. Thermosetting resin
  • E. Joints/joining

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