Method and device for perforating a thermoplastic composite

Process for making a hole in a part (1) that is essentially formed by fibers (10) that are kept in a matrix (11), whereby said part comprises—in the zone of the hole that is to be made—a first surface, so-called upper surface (12), through which the hole is made, and a second surface, so-called lower surface (13), through which the hole emerges, whereby said matrix essentially consists of a material, so-called thermoplastic material, exhibiting a plastic state when it is brought to a temperature Tf, so-called forming temperature, and exhibiting a non-plastic state when it is at a temperature Tu, so-called temperature of use, less than Tf, characterized in that it comprises the stages of:

• a) Locally heating at least at the location of the hole to produce the matrix (11) of the part (1) at the temperature Tf;
• b) Moving apart the fibers (10) held by the matrix (11) at the location that is desired for the hole by radially pushing back the material in the plastic state from said matrix relative to a longitudinal axis of the hole in order to form a starter hole from a cross-section that is essentially constant and lower than a cross-section that is desired for the hole;
• c) Heating, if necessary, the material of the matrix (11) around the starter hole to the temperature Tf and gradually moving apart the fibers (10) and pushing back the material in the plastic state from the matrix (11) until reaching the essentially constant cross-section that is desired for the hole between the upper surface (12) and the lower surface (13);
• d) Cooling the material of the matrix (11) to a temperature Tu, or at least to a temperature that is lower than Tf for which said matrix no longer has a thermoplastic property, by holding the material from the pushed-back matrix (11) and the fibers (10) moved apart around the hole that is made during preceding stages.