LAMINATE LAYUP AND CONSOLIDATION TECHNIQUES FOR ENHANCED INDUCTION HEATING RESPONSES WITH THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES

Induction welding of thermoplastic composites has garnered much attention from the aerospace industry as a rapid, non-contact means of welding plies and laminates in complex assemblies without requiring adhesives or fasteners. However, in order to meet the rigorous demands of today’s high-rate manufacturing environment and to adapt to the advanced production and assembly techniques of tomorrow, the factors which lead to fast, reliable, and consistent welds must be well-understood. For unidirectional tape, the stacking sequence and fiber orientation can have a large effect on the weldability of the material. Using Toray Cetex® TC1225 LMPAEKTM T700 tape, Toray Advanced Composites has investigated the impact of various stacking sequences, layup angles and consolidation methods on induction response. This paper compares peak induction heating response temperatures and heating rate, given identical power inputs and a standardized test setup.