Among carbon fiber polymer composites, thermoplastics have interesting advantages compared to thermoset ones, such as recyclability, wear and impact resistance, and weldability. The high melting point of the thermoplastic resin with the fiber constraints makes it difficult to manufacture complex geometries, which justify the use of joining techniques. Mechanical fastening and adhesive bonding methods have some drawbacks that thermoplastic composite welding can eliminate because it is possible to achieve bond performance similar to the properties of the joined materials separated, allowing reprocessing (recycling). Most studies involving thermoplastic resistance welding are based on experimental tests. However, for further application and certification purposes, consistent models are required. In this paper, an analytical model for the thermoplastic welding process is proposed. The model is based on one-dimensional temperature distribution around the joint interface obtained from the transient heat conduction equation. To evaluate the bond strength, a bonding model that considers the intimate contact and autohesion was used. The material and the thermal properties were obtained from the literature and based on a micromechanical approach.

Cite as: D.B. de Castro, M.V. Donadon and M.A. Arbelo. "An analytical model for the thermoplastic welding process". In Proceedings of the 6th Brazilian Conference on Composite Materials (Part of ISSN 2316-1337), Organised and Edited by R.J. da Silva & T.H. Panzera, 2022, pp. 89-94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29327/566492