Component having an integral bond and a joining method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016176102-A1
Application number	US-201514974867-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 19, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A welding method for producing an integral bond of fibre-reinforced plastics parts includes a welding head penetrating one of the plastics parts. The method includes reinforcing at least a first plastics part by a plurality of directional fibres. The re-inforcing fibres reorient themselves within the connection region without severing or breaking.

First claim

1 . A welding method for producing an integral bond of a first and a second plastics part in a connection region, the method comprising:
reinforcing at least the first plastics part by a plurality of directional fibres; bringing a welding head being into contact with the first plastics part; softening and/or melting the plastics material in the connection region adjacent to one end of the first plastics part so that the welding head can penetrate the first plastics part and the reinforcing fibres can extend from said end into the connection region by appropriate heating.

2 . The welding method according to claim 1 , wherein a softening zone is produced in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing fibres from the connection region as far as to an end of the first plastics part, and fibres are extended out of the softening zone into the connection region during welding.

3 . The welding method according to claim 1 , wherein, in at least one region of the first plastics part that is remote from the welding head by more than half the diameter of the welding head, the plastics material is heated by a heat source to a temperature between a softening point of the plastics material and a melting point of the plastics material or at least to 5% below the softening point.

4 . The welding method according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one region of the first plastics part is remote from the welding head by more than the diameter of the welding head.

5 . The welding method according to claim 1 , wherein energy is supplied to achieve a necessary temperature increase in the welding region, and heating is carried out to bring the first plastics part into the softening point range in the welding region, and in doing so remains below the melting point.

6 . The welding method according to claim 5 , wherein the heating is carried out at a region that adjoins the weld region and is at least double the size of the welding head cross section.

7 . The welding method according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing fibres of the first plastics part are pressed into the second plastics part at least in some portions by the welding head.

8 . The welding method according to claim 1 , wherein the welding head is driven by a rotating and/or vibrating movement.

9 . The welding method according to claim 1 , wherein the welding head is removed from the material of the first plastics part at least in part at repeated intervals, then moved along a weld track by at least 0.1 mm, and then lowered back into the material of the first plastics part.

10 . The welding method according to claim 9 , wherein the welding head is moved along a weld track by at least 20% of the welding head diameter.

11 . The welding method according to claim 1 , wherein a pressure pad is arranged around the periphery of the welding head, is in surface to surface contact with the first plastics part and is arranged in a stationary manner relative to the first plastics part.

12 . The welding method according to claim 11 , wherein the pressure pad is arranged in a stationary manner relative to the first plastics part during the deformation of the reinforcing fibres.

13 . A component comprising two plastics parts connected in a connection region, wherein a first plastics part is fibre-reinforced and the reinforcing fibres are oriented largely linearly within the first plastics part and at least some of the reinforcing fibres comprise deviations in the connection region which deviate from said linear orientation.

14 . The component according to claim 13 , wherein the first plastics part comprises a certain content of long-fibred reinforcing fibres and fibre breakage occurs when there is less than 40% of these reinforcing fibres in the connection region.

15 . A welding method for producing an integral bond of a first and a second plastics part in a connection region, the method comprising:
reinforcing at least the first plastics part by a plurality of directional fibres; bringing a welding head being into contact with the first plastics part; softening and/or melting the plastics material adjacent to the connection region so that the welding head can penetrate the first plastics part and the reinforcing fibres can reorient themselves outside the connection region to allow the welding head to penetrate the first plastics part without the reinforcing fibres generally breaking or severing.

16 . The welding method according to claim 15 , wherein a softening zone is produced in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing fibres from the connection region as far as to an end of the first plastics part, and fibres are extended out of the softening zone into the connection region during welding.

17 . The welding method according to claim 15 , wherein, in at least one region of the first plastics part that is remote from the welding head by more than half the diameter of the welding head, the plastics material is heated by a heat source to a temperature between a softening point of the plastics material and a melting point of the plastics material or at least to 5% below the softening point.

18 . The welding method according to claim 17 , wherein the at least one region of the first plastics part is remote from the welding head by more than the diameter of the welding head.

19 . The welding method according to claim 15 , wherein energy is supplied to achieve a necessary temperature increase in the welding region, and heating is carried out to bring the first plastics part into the softening point range in the welding region, and in doing so remains below the melting point.

20 . The welding method according to claim 19 , wherein the heating is carried out at a region that adjoins the weld region and is at least double the size of the welding head cross section.

21 . The welding method according to claim 15 , wherein the reinforcing fibres of the first plastics part are pressed into the second plastics part at least in some portions by the welding head.

22 . The welding method according to claim 15 , wherein the welding head is driven by a rotating and/or vibrating movement.

23 . The welding method according to claim 15 , wherein the welding head is removed from the material of the first plastics part at least in part at repeated intervals, then moved along a weld track by at least 0.1 mm, and then lowered back into the material of the first plastics part.

24 . The welding method according to claim 23 , wherein the welding head is moved along a weld track by at least 20% of the welding head diameter.

25 . The welding method according to claim 15 , wherein a pressure pad is arranged around the periphery of the welding head, is in surface to surface contact with the first plastics part and is arranged in a stationary manner relative to the first plastics part.

26 . The welding method according to claim 25 , wherein the pressure pad is arranged in a stationary manner relative to the first plastics part during the deformation of the reinforcing fibres.

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Gmbh

Inventors

• Silvanus Juergen
• Meyer Meinhard
• Juergens Michael

Classifications

• B29C65/0681 Primary

  created by a tool · CPC title

• B32B2250/02

  2 layers · CPC title

• B32B27/08

  of synthetic resin · CPC title

• B29C65/022 Primary

  Particular heating or welding methods not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B32B2250/24

  All layers being polymeric · CPC title