Enhanced Ultrasonic Welding of Thermoplastic Composites

Aerospace industry is going through a phase where there is an evolution towards lightweighting the aircrafts by

using light weight composite materials. This has huge financial and environmental implications for all

stakeholders. There is an increasing need to develop techniques which can process these materials (joining,

welding, etc.) at a similar rate to conventional metal components. A thorough feasibility study of ultrasonic

welding, the process variables involved and its suitability for commercialization will be done in this project. The

project will also compare parts processed by ultrasonic welding to established manufacturing techniques.

The key outcomes and understanding from this project will be fed into a larger industrialisation project which

will assess the suitability, repeatability and mechanical properties of composite parts proceseed by using

ultrasonic welding techniques.

The UK aerospace industry and the entire supply chain can benefit fom the understanding of a clean, fast and

reliable joining technique and this feasibility study is the first step towards achieving that goal.