A method for joining two substantially planar fiber-composite structural components, includes stacking the two components on a support jig to overlap along a joining region. A lower component end section within the joining region borders a gap between the upper component and the jig, where the upper component is unsupported by the jig. The gap is bordered on an opposite side of the lower component end section by a filling portion of the upper component or a planar filler element supported by the jig. The lower component is joined to the upper component within the joining region by applying temperature and pressure to the components. A width of the gap allows the upper component to elastically deform along the gap under the pressure and bend down into the gap to abut the jig along the gap and thereby compensate thickness tolerances between the components during the pressure application.

A system for fusing thermoplastic composite structures includes a skin and a substructure on an inner surface of the skin. The system also includes a shaping surface of a tool, with the skin laid up on the shaping surface. The shaping surface is configured to maintain the shape of an outer mold line. The system further includes at least one insulation layer applied over a flange of the substructure and over exposed portions of the inner surface of the skin not in contact with the substructure, and a vacuum bag at least partly enclosing the skin and the substructure. Heat can be applied to the shaping surface to fuse the substructure to the skin such that the skin exceeds its melting point and at least a portion of a raised segment of the substructure does not exceed its melting point.

A joint structure includes a reinforcement portion that is formed by joining a composite material and a reinforcing material through an adhesive. The composite material includes a plate portion that is formed by laminating a plurality of fiber sheets, and a raised portion that is formed by laminating a plurality of fiber sheets in addition to the plurality of fiber sheets of the plate portion, and surfaces of the plate portion and the raised portion are covered with a single fiber sheet. The reinforcement portion includes the raised portion and the reinforcing material that is bonded to the raised portion through an adhesive. A first boundary between the plate portion and the raised portion and a second boundary between the raised portion and the reinforcing material are located at different positions in an in-plane direction of a laminated interface between the fiber sheets that are laminated.

A method of permanently joining composite parts made from thermoplastic material includes providing a first composite part and a second composite part, both made from thermoplastic material, wherein an orifice is provided in at least one of the composite parts, positioning both composite parts such that a portion of the composite part which includes the orifice is adjacent to a portion of the other composite part, injecting melted thermoplastic material through the orifice to contact the first and the second composite part in a contact area, whereby surfaces of the first and the second composite part in that contact area melt together; and solidifying the thermoplastic material in the orifice and in the contact area to permanently join the first composite part to the second composite part.

Methods and apparatus' for induction welding a first workpiece to a second workpiece at a welding region may include a metallic strip. The metallic strip may be a mesh. The properties of the metallic strip, such as, for example, pore size, thickness, and density, may be configured to conduct heat uniformly across the welding region and prevent eddy current formation across a workpiece. The metallic strip may be embedded in a workpiece or may be fixed to an induction welding tool that acts on the welding region during induction welding. A removable polymer tape may be disposed between a workpiece and a metallic strip fixed to an induction welding tool. The workpieces may be thermoplastic composite structures and thermoplastic composite stiffeners in aircraft structures.

Systems and methods for induction welding a stiffener to a thermoplastic composite structure using a removeable metal mask to reduce excess heat along the edges of the stiffener generated from an electromagnetic field of an induction welding tool.

A method for treating a surface of a fibre composite component, wherein an abrasive removal of the surface of the fibre composite component takes place by blasting a removing agent transported by a gaseous transporting fluid onto the surface of the fibre composite component by a feed nozzle and a suction extraction of the removing agent and material removed by the removing agent takes place by an extraction nozzle arranged in the region of the feed nozzle.

A method of dissipating heat from a surface of a first thermoplastic composite (TPC) being inductively welded with a second thermoplastic composite (TPC) includes flexing a heat sink during placement to conform to the surface of the first TPC, cooling the heat sink, applying inductive heat to a weld interface area between the first TPC and the second TPC, and drawing off heat via the heat sink from the surface of the first TPC.

A process for welding profiles (1) of a thermoplastic or thermoplastic elastomer to a top layer (3) of a belt (2), such as a conveyor belt, also being made of a thermoplastic or thermoplastic elastomer. The process uses thermal impulse welding and applies the welding heat onto the surface (21) of the belt (2) which is opposite to the top layer (3). The process is in particular suited for welding TPO profiles to TPO top layers.

A composite vehicle driveshaft assembly includes a composite tube and a yoke bonded to one of the ends of the tube. The yoke has an inner sleeve that is concentrically received in the end of the tube. The sleeve has an outer peripheral surface that faces the inner peripheral surface of the tube with a cavity formed therebetween. An adhesive injection passage is formed in the yoke and extends at an acute angle from an inlet that is formed in an axial surface of the yoke to an outlet that is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and that opens into the cavity. Also disclosed is a method of bonding a yoke of such a driveshaft assembly to a composite tube.