Abstract
An experimental investigation is presented of fusion bonding of C fiber reinforced polypropylene composites by resistance welding. An experiment apparatus was developed to carry out experiments which yield information on the processing parameters, such as current intensity, input energy, power, welding time and consolidation pressure. All of them can govern more or less the efficiency of the welding process. The heating element consisted of a single ply of CF/PP prepreg. Experiments were conducted under displacement control. The quality of the welded surface was first studied by using an ultrasonic, nondestructive evaluation technique. Second, an experimental quantification was performed through double cantilever beam (DCB) testing. Experimental results indicated that sufficient joining was obtained at power levels > 45 kW/m exp 2 . The maximum mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of welded samples was 458 J/m exp 2 , which was equivalent to 68% of the value obtained for compression molded samples. Graphs, Photomicrographs. 7 ref.--AA