A joining method for joining a resin member and a metal member by heating is provided. Joining of the resin member and metal member is performed by heating a joining interface of the resin member and metal member to a temperature in a range of equal to or higher than a decomposition temperature of the resin member and lower than a temperature at which gas bubbles are generated in the resin member and by cooling a surface of the resin member on the opposite side from a joining surface thereof with the metal member to a temperature that is lower than the melting point of the resin member.

A method for surface preparation of composite substrates prior to adhesive bonding. A curable surface treatment layer is applied onto a curable, resin-based composite substrate, followed by co-curing. After co-curing, the composite substrate is fully cured but the surface treatment layer remains partially cured. The surface treatment layer may be a resin film or a removal peel ply composed of resin-impregnated fabric. After surface preparation, the composite substrate is provided with a chemically-active, bondable surface that can be adhesively bonded to another composite substrate to form a covalently-bonded structure.

A method for making a gas-tight container (1) in elastomeric material comprises: providing two or more separate elastomeric portions (2, 3), cleaning and/or roughening the gluing surfaces (6) of the gluing edges (5), applying an adhesive (7) onto the previously cleaned, degreased and/or roughened gluing surfaces (6), assembling the portions (2, 3) to form the container (1) and inserting between the gluing surfaces (6) a raw elastomeric tape (8) not yet cured, applying a cold pressure on the overlapped gluing edges (5), heating the overlapped gluing edges (5) to thermally activate the curing of the raw tape (8), cooling the gluing areas.

A method of fastening a second object to a fiber composite part including a structure of fibers embedded in a matrix material includes: providing the fiber composite part including an attachment surface, with a portion of the structure of fibers being exposed at the attachment surface; providing the second object; placing the second object relative to the fiber composite part, with a resin in a flowable state between the attachment surface and the connector; pressing the second object and the fiber composite part against each other and causing mechanical vibration to act on the second object or the fiber composite part or both, thereby causing the resin to infiltrate the exposed structure of fibers and activating the resin to cross-link; whereby the resin, after cross-linking, secures the second object to the fiber composite part.

Methods of co-bonding a first thermoset composite (TSC) and a second TSC to define a cured composite part are disclosed herein. The methods include partially curing the first TSC to a target state of cure (SOC) to define a first partially cured TSC. The partially curing is based, at least in part, on a maximum temperature of the first TSC during the partially curing and on an elapsed time that an actual temperature of the first TSC is greater than a threshold temperature. The methods further include combining the first partially cured TSC with the second TSC to define a partially cured TSC assembly and heating the partially cured TSC assembly to bond the first partially cured TSC to the second TSC, cure the partially cured TSC assembly, and produce a cured composite part.

A method for producing a thermoplastic fiber composite component, in particular for an aircraft or spacecraft, has the following method steps: material-removing processing of a first face of a first plate, wherein the first plate comprises a thermoplastic fiber composite material and a local reduction in thickness of the first plate is made by the material-removing processing of the first face; positioning a second plate relative to the first plate such that the first face of the first plate is brought into alignment with a third face of the second plate; and joining the first plate to the second plate to form a single component, wherein the surface of the first face of the first plate is integrally bonded to the surface of the third face of the second plate.

A method of directly joining a polymer to a metal along a joint interface through the formation of C—O-M chemical bonds, where M represents an element in the metal to be joined. The method includes heating the metal to a predetermined temperature above a glass transition temperature of the polymer and less than a flash ignition temperature of the polymer and less than a metal melting temperature of the metal; physically contacting at least one of the metal and the polymer; and applying compression pressure to the joint interface of the metal and the polymer when the metal is above the glass transition temperature of the polymer and less than the flash ignition temperature of the polymer and less than the metal melting temperature of the metal to generate intimate atomic contact between the metal and the polymer to create C—O-M chemical bonds between the metal and the polymer.

Disclosed is a method of resistance welding between composite articles. A conductive element is provided between faying surfaces, having a plurality of lower resistivity electrode portions spaced apart along the length of the contact area between the composite articles. The electrode portions can be used to spot weld across the electrode portions, and along a longitudinal portion of the conductive element between the electrode portions by application of an electrical current. Also disclosed are apparatus for use in the resistance welding methods and composite articles and structures and elements incorporating the conductive element.

A method of manufacturing a wind turbine blade is described, the blade being formed from at least a pair of blade shells being joined together. For at least a portion of the wind turbine blade, the blade shells are joined by an overlamination applied between the edges of the blade shells, thereby substantially reducing or eliminating the need for a structural adhesive to join the blade shells, particularly in the area of the leading edge of the blade or the root region of the blade trailing edge. The overlamination can be formed from the same material as the blade shells themselves, thereby minimising the possibility of structural faults or cracks due to differences in materials or stiffness levels at the interface between the blade shells.

A multi-material assembly is provided, as well as methods of making a multi-material assembly. The multi-material assembly includes a first coated structural component and a second structural component. The first coated structural component includes a first uncoated portion, and an adhesive is positioned between the second structural component and the first uncoated portion that secures the first coated structural component to the second structural component.