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    Evaluation of grit-blasting as a pre-treatment for carbon-fibre thermoplastic composite to aluminium bonded joints tested at static and dynamic loading rates

    Year: 2020

    Journal: Compos. Pt. B-Eng., Volume 185, MAR 15

    Authors: Ramaswamy, Karthik; O'Higgins, Ronan M.; Kadiyala, Ajay Kumar; McCarthy, Michael A.; McCarthy, Conor T.

    Organizations: EU Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Network-ICONIC [721256]; Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)Science Foundation Ireland [SFI 16/RC/3918]; European Regional Development FundEuropean Commission

    Keywords: Joints/joining; Adhesion; Surface treatment; Metal to thermoplastic composite bonding

    Light-weighting of transportation structures necessitates multi-material design employing composites and aluminium, with thermoplastic composites being of increasing interest to the industry. Adhesive bonding is a viable solution for joining dissimilar materials, but joint performance can be considerably affected by surface preparation. In this paper, alumina grit-blasting is investigated as a surface preparation technique for thermoplastic-matrix composites to be bonded to aluminium alloys. Grit-blasting is performed on composite adherends for varying durations, and the resulting chemical and morphological modifications are analysed using goniometry, profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Adhesively-bonded single-lap joints are tested at quasi-static and dynamic (0.5 m/s) loading rates, and fractography analysis is performed at macro and micro scales. It is found that high lap shear strength and work-to-failure can be achieved through optimisation of the grit-blasting parameters. The optimised process produces a composite surface with plasticised matrix, minimal fibre exposure, and favourable surface chemistry for adhesive bonding. Grit-blasting can thus be a simple, yet effective surface preparation technique for composites to be bonded to aluminium.
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