Resistance welding of thermoplastic composites with a nanocomposite heating element

In this study, we propose a new heating element (HE) for the resistance welding of thermoplastic composites. This HE is made of polyetherimide (PEI), rendered electrically conductive by the addition of 10% wt. multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) (conductivity of 0.79 S cm-1). The new HE was successfully used to weld carbon fibre/poly (ether ketone) (CF/PEEK) laminates in a single lap shear configuration, leading to a lap shear strength of up to 19.6 MPa. Observations of the fracture surfaces revealed a cohesive failure mode within the nanocomposite HE and non-uniform heating over the weld area. It is believed that PEI/MWCNT HE present an interesting alternative to current HE, although more work is needed to improve the temperature homogeneity over the weld area.