Patent ID: 8603279

Claim:
A device for statically welding a stiffener to a receiving surface of a skin where both the stiffener and the skin are made of a thermoplastic composite material, the stiffener comprising a stiffener foot having a bearing surface parallel to a portion of said receiving surface and a stiffener flange projecting away from said portion of the bearing surface, said device comprising: a metallic support including: a seating surface substantially matching the shape of the receiving side of the skin: a groove sufficiently large so as to encompass said stiffener flange when said flange is located in said groove; and a thermal insulator located in and flush with said seating surface and extending over at least a portion of but not all of said bearing surface of said stiffener when said stiffener flange is located in said groove; a conformal panel and means for applying pressure to said skin forcing at least a portion of said receiving surface into contact with a portion of said bearing surface over at least a portion of said insulator; and heating means for heating only a portion of said at least said contacting portion of said receiving surface and said bearing surface to a temperature above the melting point of said thermoplastic material.