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Composites - Processing, Joining and Testing

Back to Technologies Adhesives and Sealants Composites Joining Resistance and Mechanical Joining Friction Welding Polymer Welding Electron Beam Technology at TWI Including Electron Optics, Electron Gun and Surfi-Sculpt Laser Technologies at TWI Which Includes Fibre Laser Cutting, Laser Materials Processing and Disc Laser Processes
 

Composite materials have been used by industry for decades for the physical or chemical properties they offer. Created through the combination of distinct materials with different properties, composite materials can provide combined properties - such as increased strength-to-weight ratios - when compared to the individual materials.

While joined, composite materials retain their separate identities rather than being blended into a single substance and can contain both man-made and natural parts. Most man-made composites consist of a matrix, which holds the components together, and a reinforcement material that provides strength, stiffness, and other desirable properties.

Press Releases

Find out more about composite joining:

Research 1

Composites UK’s Joining Good Practice Guide

TWI helped with the creation of Composites UK’s Good Practice Guide for the joining of fibre reinforced polymer composites (FRPs).

Learn more
Research 2

Improved Joining and Sealing for Thermoset Composite Pipes

Developing an innovative method of joining reinforced thermosetting resin (RTR) composite pipes for a more reliable solution.

Learn more
Research 3

Revolutionising Plastic and Composite Joining

The continued development of an innovative new precision welding technology for high value plastic and composite components.

Learn more

Core Research Programme (CRP) and Joint Industry Projects (JIP)

Core Research

Each year the TWI Core Research Programme (CRP) addresses challenges on behalf of our Industrial Members as well as developing specific technologies and processes. Each of the projects under the CRP is focussed on engineering, materials or manufacturing technologies.

Find out more here

Joint Industry Projects

TWI also conducts Joint Industry Projects (JIPs) that bring together groups of Industrial Members to share the cost of research activities in areas of mutual industrial interest, gaining exclusive access to the outcomes. These projects cover a broad range of topics.

Find out more here

Composites Joining at TWI

TWI’s experts have been researching and developing composite materials for decades, giving considerable breadth to our expertise in all aspects of working with composites. This includes design, modelling, processing, repair, NDT, failure analysis, added functionality (coatings), testing, and joining.

We advise our Industrial Members in the use of composites across the many different industry sectors with which we work, meeting their specific and differing requirements and applications. This allows us to take solutions from a range of use cases and industries and apply them to your challenges.

Composite materials can be processed into components and structures in many ways, depending on the materials used, the complexity of the geometry and the production output required. One of the principal areas of research affecting the uptake of composites is the development of methods of joining them to similar or dissimilar materials.

TWI has developed a number of different joining technologies for composite parts, each of which have different requirements and capabilities. These differences can be, for example, in relation to surface preparations, fatigue resistance, ability to distribute loads, or – as is the case with aluminium and carbon fibre composites - galvanic corrosion.

As such, our support is bespoke and customised to the specific geometry, joint design, materials and requirements involved.

Joining solutions include those that are part of the composites manufacturing process (co-curing) or a separate process that may require machining (mechanical fastening) or further surface treatment (such as adhesive bonding).

Examples of TWI Expertise

Our expertise in composites joining includes:

  • Induction welding of thermoplastic composites
  • Co-curing of thermoset composites
  • Thermal assisted piercing of thermoplastic composites for use with mechanical fasteners
  • Microwave welding of thermoplastic composites with dissimilar materials
  • Adhesive bonding

To find out more about how we can help solve your composite joining challenges, please email contactus@twi.co.uk.

For more information please email:


contactus@twi.co.uk