Joining method

A method for joining primary and secondary members comprising:

• providing a primary member, a secondary member and a heating element which is joined to one of the primary and secondary members, wherein the heating element includes an electrically insulating matrix material and a plurality of electrically conductive reinforcing elements extending through the matrix material;
• bringing the other of the primary and secondary members and the heating element into engagement;
• and
• controlling a flow of electrical current in the reinforcing elements by driving current through different reinforcing elements at different times so as to resistively heat and fuse at least some of the matrix material of the heating element with a matrix material of the other of the primary and secondary members, wherein the primary and secondary members are defined by different portions of a unitary member, the method comprising forming a recess in the unitary member so as to define the primary portion of the unitary member to one side of the recess and the secondary portion of the unitary member to the other side of the recess, inserting the heating element into the recess and compressing the heating element between the primary and secondary portions of the unitary member.