Method for securing a thermoplastic insert.

摘要

A thermoplastic insert (1) is secured to skin hole walls of sandwich panel skin sheets by: (a) providing a sandwich panel (4) with top and bottom fibre reinforced thermoplastic skin sheets (6, 7) and an intermediate core layer, in which the sandwich panel has a through hole (9) such that the skin sheets have vertical hole walls; (b) providing a thermoplastic insert with integrally formed axial sacrificial thermoplastic rims (13, 14); (c) placing the insert int he through hole in the sandwich panel such that the first rim protrudes between the upper surface of the first skin sheet, forming gaps between the insert and the hole walls, with the sacrificial rims being dimensioned so as to provide sufficient thermoplastic material to fill the gaps; (d) positioning the insert between the horn (5) and anvil (2) of an ultrasonic welding appts.; and (e) applying ultrasonic energy to the insert so that the sacrificial rims fuse to the skin hole walls and the upper surface of the first skin sheet is flush with one end of the insert.