Effectiveness of flame-based surface treatment for adhesive bonding of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy matrix composites

Abstract

The focus of this research is to investigate the mechanical performance of adhesively bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite joints prepared with flame-based surface treatment. A surface treatment technique, trade name: ITRO treatment, was employed for preparing faying surfaces of laminated carbon/epoxy composite substrates. Adhesively bonded single-lap joint specimens were tested under tensile static loading, and their strength and failure mode were examined. The surfaces of the treated CFRP laminates were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In addition, a nonlinear finite element analysis was conducted to study the damage within the joint specimens. ITRO treatment leads to an enhancement in adhesion across the adhesive/composite substrate interface, which is reflected in the high strength and substrate failure mode of the joint specimens. Our results demonstrate that ITRO treatment appears to be a promising surface preparation method to achieve good adhesive bonding of composite materials.