To improve a method for ultrasonic welding of parts for vehicles and/or aircraft, a method in which an energy director made of non-woven fiber material is arranged between a first fiber composite part and a second fiber composite part to be joined together. A sonotrode is used to join/weld the parts together by pressing on the parts. The energy director is compliant such that a uniform even contact is generated between the first and second fiber composite parts during the welding process.

The invention provides a sonotrode (100) for welding a material, the sonotrode (100) comprising a welding section (110) configured for contacting the material, wherein the welding section (110) defines a rounded shape (111) in a cross-section parallel to a longitudinal axis (A) of the sonotrode (100), wherein the rounded shape (111) approximates a circular sector (20), wherein the circular sector (20) has a central angle α.sub.c selected from the range of 25°-300°, and wherein the circular sector (20) has a central radius r.sub.c selected from the range of 5-30 mm, and wherein the sonotrode (100) has a width W perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (A) [and to the cross-section], wherein W is selected from the range of 10-100 mm.

A method of anchoring a connector in a first object, wherein the first object is a lightweight building element having a first outer building layer and an interlining layer, and wherein the connector includes thermoplastic material in a solid state. The method includes: bringing a coupling surface portion of the connector into contact with an attachment location of the first outer building layer; displacing a portion of the first outer building layer at the attachment location with respect to the interlining layer by applying a first pressing force to the first outer building layer and thereby piercing the first outer building layer; applying a second pressing force to the connector and transferring energy to the connector until a flow portion of the thermoplastic material has liquefied and flown to interpenetrate structures of the interlining layer; and stopping the energy transfer and allowing the flow portion to re-solidify.

A system and method for welding two thermoplastic workpieces. The system has an ultrasonic tool, a support and a cooling unit. The ultrasonic tool is configured to generate mechanical vibrations. The system is configured to clamp together workpieces in the receiving region by the ultrasonic tool and the support if at least one fastening portion of the workpieces opposite one another is arranged in the receiving region. The ultrasonic tool is configured to introduce the mechanical vibrations into the fastening portion of the workpieces to weld the workpieces in a joining zone. The cooling unit is configured to cool, with cooling fluid, at least a part of the fastening portion of the workpieces and/or a cooling portion of the workpieces directly adjacent to the fastening portion.

Disclosed are: an ultrasonic welding member which is independent of a first member and a second member and which is held between a surface to be welded of the first member and a surface to be welded of the second member prior to ultrasonic welding between the surface to be welded of the first member and the surface to be welded of the second member having a shape parallel to or fitted into the surface to be welded of the first member, the ultrasonic welding member characterized by including a thermoplastic resin and satisfying a discontinuous forming requirement, an outside opening requirement, and a bonding place reduction requirement; and an ultrasonic welding method using the ultrasonic welding member. The ultrasonic welding member may include a plurality of streaks at least in a part thereof. The ultrasonic welding member may be a substantially lattice-shaped fabric or textile mesh at least in a part thereof. When the ultrasonic welding member is held between the surface to be welded of the first member and the surface to be welded of the second member, crossing parts of threads of the mesh may form a bonding place between the ultrasonic welding member and the surface to be welded of the first member and a bonding place between the ultrasonic welding member and the surface to be welded of the second member.

The present invention provides a method for producing a joined body, the method including: disposing a joining member between a member A containing a thermoplastic resin and a member B containing a thermoplastic resin, the joining member including a sheet part containing a thermoplastic resin, and a plurality of protrusion parts integrally formed with the sheet part on at least one surface of the sheet part, the protrusion parts containing a thermoplastic resin; and melting at least a part of the joining member to join the member A and the member B to obtain a joined body thereof.

A method of anchoring a connector in a first object, wherein the first object is a lightweight building element having a first outer building layer and an interlining layer, and wherein the connector includes thermoplastic material in a solid state. The method includes: bringing a coupling surface portion of the connector into contact with an attachment location of the first outer building layer; displacing a portion of the first outer building layer at the attachment location with respect to the interlining layer by applying a first pressing force to the first outer building layer and thereby piercing the first outer building layer; applying a second pressing force to the connector and transferring energy to the connector until a flow portion of the thermoplastic material has liquefied and flown to interpenetrate structures of the interlining layer; and stopping the energy transfer and allowing the flow portion to re-solidify.

A method is provided for joining a fiber-reinforced joining element, formed from a plastic material, to the joining surfaces thereof by way of an ultrasonic welding method. A concentrator and/or at least one insertion element is arranged in the region of the joining surfaces prior to fusing between the joining surfaces, and the concentrator and/or the insertion element are fused together with the joining surfaces in order to form a positive fit joint therewith after hardening.

A process, for locating a welding energy director, for effective welding together of multiple workpieces at an area of the director. The director includes positioning a workpiece arrangement in preparation to make approaches, for locating the director, wherein the workpiece arrangement includes a proximate workpiece of the multiple workpieces, a distal workpiece, and the welding director positioned therebetween. The process also includes performing a sub-routine comprising moving a locating implement toward the proximate workpiece. The routine also includes determining whether a push-back force, being received at the locating implement from the workpiece, indicates that the locating implement has been lowered to a local terminal point. The routine includes relocating, in response to a negative result, the implement for repeating until a positive result, and determining, in response to the positive results in the location determination, that the director is located directly beneath an area corresponding to the positive result.

An ultrasonic welding system, for welding together two workpieces wherein at least one of the workpieces includes a polymeric composite, comprising an energy applicator positioned along an action axis so that, in operation, ultrasonic vibrations transmitted from the energy applicator during a welding routine, are transmitted to the workpieces generally at and/or adjacent the axis. The system also includes a primary, course-control, actuator positioned along action axis so that a first load, output by the primary actuator, acts along the system action axis. The system further comprises a secondary, fine-control, actuator positioned along the system action axis so that a second load output, by the secondary actuator, acts along the axis. And the system comprises a controller for providing first command signals and second command signals to the primary actuator and second actuator to control them to effect loads on the workpieces, during the welding routine and along the axis.