INDUCTION WELDING OF CARBON UD TAPE BASED THERMOPLASTICS

摘要

In recent years, the interest in thermoplastic composites in aerospace has grown enormously. This can be attributed to end-of-life issues which thermoplastics do not have, increased damage tolerance and improved thermal and chemical performance. But the main reason is the potential for industrialised and thus faster production. This has led to a shift in focus towards unidirectional (UD) tapes, since these allow for industrialized application methods like automated tape-laying (ATL) and continuous compression moulding (CCM). Another shift could be observed from PPS to higher performance polymers like PEKK and PEEK. For the application of induction welding for assembly of these carbon UD tape PEKK and PEEK based laminates, several challenges need to be faced.