Resistance welding of thermoplastic composites with Elium-impregnated carbon-fibre heating element
Luigi Benvenuto, Leonardo Ferretti, Enrico Lertora, Chiara Mandolfino, Matteo Benvenuto, Marco Pizzorni
Abstract. This study investigates an innovative resistance welding technique applied to advanced thermoplastic composite (TPCs) materials, emphasizing sustainability, mechanical performance, and recycling potential. The work uses the thermoplastic resin, named Elium®, as both the composite matrix and filler material to achieve homogeneous and structural joints. The approach aims to find sustainable and high-performance alternatives to traditional bonding methods, offering benefits in terms of time, cost, recyclability, and environmental impact. To improve the quality of the weld, several parameters were previously optimized, including pressure, temperature and current; the thickness of the welded zone was varied by overlapping one or more unidirectional ribbons of pre-impregnated carbon and evaluating the mechanical performance through apparent shear strength tests according to ASTM D1002 standard. Experimental analyses confirmed that the joints exhibited high mechanical performance, highlighting the technique’s potential as a sustainable alternative to adhesive bonding. Compared to traditional methods, resistance welding with Elium® composites enables rapid assembly, recyclability, and minimized environmental impact. The findings present promising opportunities for applications in automotive, aerospace, and other advanced sectors.
Keywords
Resistance Welding, Thermoplastic Composites, Lap Shear Strength
Published online 5/7/2025, 10 pages
Copyright © 2025 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Luigi Benvenuto, Leonardo Ferretti, Enrico Lertora, Chiara Mandolfino, Matteo Benvenuto, Marco Pizzorni, Resistance welding of thermoplastic composites with Elium-impregnated carbon-fibre heating element, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 54, pp 2327-2336, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903599-251
The article was published as article 251 of the book Material Forming
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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