Intrinsic manufacture of hollow thermoplastic composite/metal structures

In contrast to common and classical joining technologies for composite/metal hybrid structures such as bonding and riveting, profile and contour joints offer a promising potential for novel lightweight hybrid structures. First and foremost, joining systems with a form closure function enable to pass very high loads into rod- and tube-shaped fibre reinforced structures and achieve high degrees of material utilization for the composite part. This paper demonstrates the theoretical and technological principals for a resource efficient design and production of highly loaded thermoplastic composite profile structures with integrated metallic load introduction elements and a multi scale form closure. The hybrid structures are produced in an integral blow moulding process in which a braided tape-preform is simultaneously consolidated and formed into the metallic load introduction element. These metallic load introduction elements are manufactured in a two-stage process of external and internal hydroforming, after forming simulations have assured process stability for consistent quality.