Thermoplastic Composite Welded Assemblies

Structural composite assemblies require bonding or mechanical fastening to join the individual components. After initial manufacture of the composite components, both joining methods require extensive and expensive preparation of the components for assembly, either through surface preparation and bonding or hole machining and fastener installation. Thermoplastic composite components can be adhesively bonded or mechanically fastened to form structural assemblies, but the chemical nature of the thermoplastic matrix also enables local re-melting and opportunities to “weld” these components as a means of joining. This Composites Manufacturing Technology Center (CMTC) project aims to build upon previous thermoplastic induction welding efforts to develop an induction welding process for assembly of structures. The significant curvatures that represent the chines of aircraft fuselages, as well as the leading and trailing edges, will be demonstrated using representative MQ-25A geometries.

Reduced material handling, supply chain simplification, and automation of assembly contribute to cost savings for the platform, which is currently estimated to be $100K per MQ-25A. This is conservative and only considers the forward and aft chine assemblies; additional candidates will only increase savings. Supplemental to platform savings is the weight-reduction associated with eliminating fasteners, which will also be realized with the implementation of this technology.

Implementation of the fuselage chine on the MQ-25A requires detailed design, analysis, and testing, details of which will be defined during project execution. The results of this Navy ManTech project may be implemented in production of MQ-25A aircraft as early as FY2026. Additional fuselage chine structures not targeted in this project have been identified as additional candidates for conversion.

*Prepared under ONR Contract N00014-21-D-7001 as part of the Navy ManTech Program.

*DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited. DCN# 2024-11-6-309; Approval Date: 11/14/2024