FricRiveting: A New Technique for Joining Polymer-Metal Hybrid Structures

Polymer-metal hybrid structures frequently require joints due to limitations associated with component size, fabrication capabilities and physic-chemical material incompatibilities. The FricRiveting technique is a new alternative spot joining process developed to fill this gap. In the process a cylindrical metallic rivet is used to join one or more thermoplastic-metal components by means of plasticizing and deforming the tip of the rotating rivet through frictional heating (average temperatures within 300-500 °C). As an illustration of the process, sound joints on polyetherimide/aluminum 2024-T351 with elevated mechanical strength (up to 93% of the rivet strength) were successfully produced within short joining cycles and requiring minimal preparation of joining partners.