Abstract
Multi-materials of metal-polymer and metal-composite hybrid structures (MMHSs) are highly demanded in several fields including land, air and sea transportation, infrastructure construction, and healthcare. The adoption of MMHSs in transportation industries represents a pivotal opportunity to reduce the product’s weight without compromising structural performance. This enables a dramatic reduction in fuel consumption for vehicles driven by internal combustion engines as well as an increase in fuel efficiency for electric vehicles. The main challenge for manufacturing MMHSs lies in the lack of robust joining solutions. Conventional joining processes, e.g., mechanical fastening and adhesive bonding involve several issues. Several emerging technologies have been developed for MMHSs’ manufacturing. Different from recently published review articles where the focus is only on specific categories of joining processes, this review is aimed at providing a broader and systematic view of the emerging opportunities for hybrid thin-walled structure manufacturing. The present review paper discusses the main limitations of conventional joining processes and describes the joining mechanisms, the main differences, advantages, and limitations of new joining processes. Three reference clusters were identified: fast mechanical joining processes, thermomechanical interlocking processes, and thermomechanical joining processes. This new classification is aimed at providing a compass to better orient within the broad horizon of new joining processes for MMHSs with an outlook for future trends.
Highlights
The use of high-performance materials such as techno-polymers and fiber-reinforced thermoplastic are opening new possibilities in terms of the “Circular Economy” concepts
This feature is attractive for many engineering applications compared to mechanical fastening methods, which typically need to produce a through-hole on the parts to be joined
This review article would be beneficial for both process developments and for process selections for metal-polymer and metal-composite structures. Based on their characteristics, advanced joining processes have been classified into three main categories:
Summary
The use of high-performance materials such as techno-polymers and fiber-reinforced thermoplastic are opening new possibilities in terms of the “Circular Economy” concepts. Thermoplastic composites are increasingly being used to replace thermosetting composites in many commercial applications because of their advantages mentioned above. The automobile and aviation industries are sought to replace metal components with thermoplastic composites to minimize vehicle weight. Thermoplastic composites are used as composite stiffeners to strengthen components, resulting in a greater strength-to-weight ratio, lighter and tougher structures, and improved fatigue properties. Thermoplastic composite stiffeners are more resistant to corrosion as compared to thermoset ones. They are produced through Out-of-Autoclave (OoA) processing, which saves cycle times and energy greatly
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