Characterization of heating elements of different dimensions used in resistance welding of thermoplastic matrix composite materials

Abstract

Resistance welding is one of the most useful methods for joining of thermoplastic composite materials. In this method, the joining process between two thermoplastic composite materials by passing a current through a stainless-steel heating element under pressure for a certain period. Within the scope of this study, meshes with a width of 12.7, 25.4, 38.1, 50.8, 63.5, 76.2 mm and a length of 160 mm were used to characterize the joule heating performance. These meshes have a mesh range of 33, 45, 61, 91, 109 and 154 microns. The temperature values on the heating elements were observed with a thermal camera by giving different current values to the relevant elements. Results reveal that the 12.7 x 160 mm heating element with 33-micron mesh spacing reached 349 ℃ under 10 A current, and the temperature value increased with current. In addition, it was determined that the resistance values of the heating elements with different widths were determined by the relevant system and the resistance properties changed non-linearly with the width.

Keywords

• Composite
• Thermoplastic
• Resistance welding
• Composite welding

References

1. Benatar A, & Gutowski TG (1986) Method for fusion bonding thermoplastic composites. SAMPE Q.;(United States), 18(1).
2. Stokes VK (1989) Joining methods for plastics and plastic composites: an overview. Polymer Engineering and Science, 29(19), 1310-1324.
3. Rudolf R, Mitschang P, Neitzel M, and Rueckert C (1999) Welding of high-performance thermoplastic composites. Polymers and polymer composites 7(5), 309-315.
4. Wedgewood AR, Hardy PE (1996) Induction welding of thermoset composite adherends using thermoplastic interlayers and susceptors. Technology Transfer in a Global Community, 850-861.
5. Maguire DM (1989) Joining thermoplastic composites. SAMPE J., 25(1), 11-14.
6. Xiao X, Hoa SV, Street KN (1994) Repair of thermoplastic resin composites bt fusion bonding. Compos Bond 1227, 30.
7. Panneerselvam K, Aravindan S, Haq AN (2012) Study on resistance welding of glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites. Materials and Design 41, 453-459.
8. Ageorges C, Ye L, Hou M (2000) Experimental investigation of the resistance welding for thermoplastic-matrix composites. Part I: heating element and heat transfer. Composites Science and Technology 60(7), 1027-1039.

9. Dubé M, Hubert P, Gallet JN, Stavrov D, Bersee HE, Yousefpour A (2012) Metal mesh heating element size effect in resistance welding of thermoplastic composites. Journal of Composite Materials 46(8), 911-919.
10. Colak ZS, Sonmez FO, Kalenderoglu V (2002) Process modeling and optimization of resistance welding for thermoplastic composites. Journal of Composite Materials 36(6), 721-744.
11. Wei D. Gu Y, Zhu H, Li M, Wang S (2022) Influence of electrical heating metal mesh and power density on resistance welding of carbon fiber/PEEK composite. Polymers 14(13), 2563.