Improving weld uniformity in continuous ultrasonic welding of thermoplastic composites

Continuous ultrasonic welding (CUW) is an innovative high-speed joining method for thermoplastic composites. Currently, thin flat energy directors (EDs) are used to focus the heat generation at the weld line. The resulting fracture surfaces exhibit large areas of intact ED, resulting in a non-uniform weld, and significantly lowering the strength...

Thermoplastic Composite Wind Turbine Blades: Kinetics and Processability

In previous research, the potential of glass fibre reinforced anionic polyamide-6 (APA-6) composites for use in wind turbine blades was proven. Based on polymer properties, viscosity, processing time, costs and recyclability, APA-6 composites are considered the most suitable reactive thermoplastic material candidate. However, more research is...