A resistance spot welding method can be used to join polymeric and metallic workpieces together and includes the following steps: (a) placing an electrically conductive coating between a polymeric workpiece and a metallic workpiece, wherein the metallic workpiece has a textured surface facing the polymeric workpiece; (b) piercing the polymeric workpiece with first and second electrically conductive pins of a welding electrode assembly; (c) applying electrical energy to the first and second electrically conductive pins so that an electrical current flows through the first electrically conductive pin, the electrically conductive coating, and the second electrically conductive pin in order to at least partially melt the polymeric workpiece and the electrically conductive coating, thereby forming a weld pool; and (d) cooling the weld pool to form a solid weld nugget in order to establish a mechanical interface lock between the solid weld nugget and the textured surface.

A method for joining primary and secondary members includes providing a primary member, a secondary member and a heating element which is joined to one of the primary and secondary members. The heating element includes an electrically insulating matrix material and an electrically conductive reinforcing clement extending through the matrix material. The method further includes bringing the other of the primary and secondary members and the heating element into engagement and controlling a flow of electrical current in the reinforcing element so as to resistively heat and fuse at least some of the matrix material of the heating element with a matrix material of the other of the primary and secondary members. The method may be used to join a primary member such as a composite tubular and a secondary member such as a component for terminating the composite tubular.

Systems and methods are described for applying a self-heating structural adhesive to components of aircraft or other structures. A conductive scrim can be placed in between layers of adhesive for use in joining two components together. Leads can be provided to apply an electrical current to the scrim, which can raise the temperature of the system and cure the adhesives, creating a strong bond with a conductive layer there between.

Composite joints and methods of forming composite joints are presented. A composite joint comprising: a first composite component formed of one of a thermoset material or a first thermoplastic material; a second composite component formed of a thermoset material or a third thermoplastic material; a thermoplastic joining film formed of a second thermoplastic material between the first composite component and the second composite component, the second thermoplastic material different from the thermoset material, first thermoplastic material, and third thermoplastic material; and a carbon conductive layer in the thermoplastic joining film.

This disclosure concerns a composite product having first and second components. At least one intermediate binding layer is located between the first and second components, and at least one electrically conductive member is located within the at least one intermediate layer. The at least one electrically conductive member is configured to generate thermal energy upon the application of an electrical current to the at least one electrically conductive member. The at least one intermediate layer is configured such that at least one characteristic of the at least one intermediate layer is altered where the thermal energy generated by the at least one electrically conductive member is above a pre-determined threshold.

A joint between dissimilar thermoplastic materials comprising a first thermoplastic material layer; a second thermoplastic material layer having a melting point temperature different from a melting point temperature of the first thermoplastic material layer; and an interface layer coupled between the first thermoplastic material layer and the second thermoplastic material layer; wherein the interface layer is configured to join the first thermoplastic material layer and the second thermoplastic material layer together to form the joint, wherein the interface layer comprises a melting point temperature having a value selected from the group consisting of between the melting point temperature of the first thermoplastic material layer and the melting point temperature of the second thermoplastic material layer; or lower than the melting point temperature of the first thermoplastic material layer and the melting point temperature of the second thermoplastic material layer.

A pipe may include an inner thermoplastic pipe, an outer layer of a fiber reinforced laminate, and a bond material. The bond material may be disposed between the inner thermoplastic pipe and the outer layer of fiber reinforced laminate. The bond material may be partially embedded within the inner thermoplastic pipe. At least one of the inner thermoplastic pipe or the bond material may include an induction heating compatible material (IHCM).

Provided is an electric power control apparatus of an electrofusion coupling pipe using a conductive polymer composite as a heating element and a method of controlling electric power using the same. The electric power control apparatus supplies electric power to the electrofusion coupling pipe using a conductive polymer composite as a heating element to detect resistance variation of the conductive polymer composite and then controls electric power supplied to the synthetic resin pipe electrofusion coupling pipe on the basis of the detected resistance variation.

A method and an apparatus for welding together a first object and a second object. The method comprises applying a layer of carbon nanotubes onto a surface of the first object and bringing the first object and the second object into contact, such that the layer of carbon nanotubes on the surface of the first object is in contact with a surface of the second object. The method further comprises applying a voltage to the layer of carbon nanotubes, such that an electrical current flows through the layer of carbon nanotubes, wherein material of the first object adjacent to the layer of carbon nanotubes and material of the second object adjacent to the layer of carbon nanotubes is heated and melted by the electrical current and thereby welded together. Further, an apparatus for welding together a first object and a second object is presented.

Apparatus (10) and associated method for joining thermoplastic composite components (66, 68) to one another. Firstly, an electrically-conductive carbon-fibre textile (74) is positioned between two pieces of thermoplastic composite (66, 68) to form a weldable assembly (64), and pressure is applied to the weldable assembly (64). A voltage is then applied across the carbon-fibre textile (74) to heat the carbon-fibre textile (74), thereby melting the thermoplastic (82) of a carbon-fibre textile facing surface (78, 80) of each thermoplastic composite (66, 68), wherein the melted thermoplastic (82) fluidly fills the inter-fibre space (84) of the carbon-fibre textile (74). Upon removing the voltage to allow the carbon-fibre textile (74) to cool, a weld (86) forms between the two thermoplastic composites (66, 68) as the thermoplastic sets.