Effect of adhesive thickness and surface roughness on the shear strength of aluminium one-component polyurethane adhesive single-lap joints for automotive applications

Adhesively bonded technology is now widely accepted as a valuable tool in mechanical design, allowing the production of connections with a very good strength‐to‐weight ratio. The bonding may be made between metal–metal, metal–composite or composite–composite. In the automotive industry, elastomeric adhesives such as polyurethanes are used in structural applications such as windshield bonding because they present important advantages in terms of damping, impact, fatigue and safety, which are critical factors. For efficient designs of adhesively bonded structures, the knowledge of the relationship between substrates and the adhesive layer is essential. The aim of this work, via an experimental study, is to carry out and quantify the various variables affecting the strength of single-lap joints (SLJs), especially the effect of the surface preparation and adhesive thickness. Aluminium SLJs were fabricated and tested to assess the adhesive performance in a joint. The effect of the bondline thickness on the lap-shear strength of the adhesives was studied. A decrease in surface roughness was found to increase the shear strength of the SLJs. Experimental results showed that rougher surfaces have less wettability which is coherent with shear strength tests. However, increasing the adhesive thickness decreased the shear strength of SLJs. Indeed, a numerical model was developed to search the impact of increasing adhesive thickness on the interface of the adherend.     

Effect of CNT dispersion methods on the strength and fracture mechanism of interface in epoxy adhesive/Al joints

The tensile and shear strengths of adhesively bonded aluminum (Al) joints were inspected in the presence of amino functionalized multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Tensile and shear tests were carried out using butt and lap-shear joints. The main goal was to compare the effects of dispersion methods of functionalized-CNT into epoxy on the mechanical performances and failure mechanisms of Al joints. Two different types of dispersion procedures, distributing CNT in the hardener (HH method) and distributing CNT in the resin (RR method), were applied. To identify the failure mechanisms, the morphology of fracture surfaces were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Comparing two dispersion methods against one another ascertained that following the RR method for dispersing CNTs in the adhesive displayed larger shear strength, while applying HH method offered fairly greater tensile strength. Moreover, dispersing CNTs in the resin induced more uniform dispersion of CNTs as compared to distributing nanofillers in the hardener. Following RR method, CNTs good dispersion as well as the presence of effective crack growth dissipating mechanisms, increased the shear strength of CNT reinforced adhesive joint. Incorporating CNTs using HH approach encouraged the plastic void formation of epoxy around the agglomerated CNTs, and as a consequence, promoted the plastic deformation under tension.     

The effect of cataphoretic and powder coatings on the strength and failure modes of EN AW-5754 aluminium alloy adhesive joints

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of cataphoretic and powder coatings and also the method of application the primer on the adherends surface on the strength and failure modes of EN AW-5754 aluminium alloy adhesive joints. The study is performed on lap joints made of EN AW-5754 aluminium alloy, subjected to three different types of surface treatment; namely a) polyurethane cataphoretic coating, b) powder coating based on black mat RAL 9005 UL polyester resin and c) no coating. The tested adhesive joints were made using a one-component polyurethane adhesive Terostat 8596, which was dedicated for automotive and cured under a constant load of 0.018 MPa at 20 ± 2 °C. In addition, this study investigates the effect of the application of Terostat 8519P adhesion promoter which is a liquid polyurethane-based primer containing solvents and which is corresponding to Terostat 8596 polyurethane adhesive. Terostat 8519P adhesion promoter was applied in two different ways: a) to one substrate and b) to both substrates. The produced adhesive joints were subjected to strength tests using the Zwick/Roell Z150 testing machine. The examination of fracture in the tested adhesive joints was performed in accordance with the EN ISO 10365 standard. The shear strength results have demonstrated that both the method of application of the adhesion promoter (Terostat 8519 P) and the presence of cataphoretic coating had an influence on adhesive joints strength. The use of the adhesion promoter significantly affects the strength of both uncoated EN AW-5754 aluminium alloy adhesive joints and the adhesive joints subjected to powder coating. The use of the adhesion promoter has a less significant effect on the cataphoretic-coated samples.     

Shear properties of isotropic conductive adhesive joints under different loading rates

Epoxy-based conductive adhesives have been widely used in the electronic field given the lead-free development of electronic packaging. The conductive adhesive joints must be subjected to shear loads during the service of electronic products considering the mismatch in mechanical properties between packaged chip and substrate. In this study, INSTRON 5544 universal material testing machine was used for tensile–shear tests of isotropic conductive adhesive joint specimens, which were prepared using pure copper plate adherend in the form of single-lap joints. Four loading rates, that is, 0.05, 0.5, 5, and 10 mm/min, were adopted. The relationship between shear load and displacement of two overlapping copper plates is deduced from a mechanical perspective. A mechanical model of the conductive adhesive shear specimen was developed by introducing dimensionless parameters, which are obtained from interfacial fracture energy and shear strength, to interpret the effect of loading rate on the shear properties of the conductive adhesive specimen considering the loading rate. Results show that this model can effectively reflect the relationship between shear load and displacement in the range of 0.05–10 mm/min.     

Influence of adhesive bond line thickness on joint strength

While the geometry of aerospace assemblies is carefully controlled, for many industrial applications such as marine structures bond line thickness can vary significantly. In this study epoxy adhesive joints of different thicknesses between aluminium substrates have been characterized using physico-chemical analyses (differential scanning calorimetry, DSC; dynamic mechanical analysis, DMA; spectroscopy), nano-indentation and mechanical testing. Thermal analyses indicated no influence of thickness on structure. Nano-indentation revealed no evidence of an interphase at the metal/epoxy interface, nor any change in modulus for different thicknesses, though Raman spectroscopy suggested there may be slight variations in composition close to the substrates. However, mechanical testing using the modified Arcan fixture indicated a significant drop in strength and failure strain under pure tension and a smaller reduction for tension/shear and pure shear loads as thickness increased. Examination of sections through joints did not indicate any physical reason for this, but numerical analysis of the stress state revealed larger stress concentration factors for tensile loading in thick joints, which may explain the thickness effect. It is recommended that joint thickness should be kept below 0.8 mm to avoid obtaining artificially low values with the Arcan test.     

Perfecting a polyurethane-type structural adhesive

A structural adhesive made from a woven glass material precoated with two-component polyurethane has been perfected. After the coating of the glass fabric, the adhesive is obtained by reacting a premix (dihydroxylated polymer) and a harder (free and blocked diisocyanates) in the presence of a tin catalysts. Values obtained for the strength of the assemblies (3 MPa on shearing) and for the working temperature (as low as 80°C) andt he allowed storage temperature (20°C) and time 91 year) of the adhesive are far better than those initially expected.     

Underwater polyurethane adhesive with enhanced cohesion by postcrosslinking of glycerol monomethacrylate

Polyurethane (PU) has been widely used as a glue in various areas. However, adhesion in the presence of water is greatly impeded and results in most synthetic adhesive failure. In this study, we designed and synthesized a novel PU construction; underwater PU adhesives were created by the incorporation of synthetic glycerol monomethacrylate (GMA). Furthermore, the urethane structure helped the adhesive eliminate the interfacial water barrier through interactions that were stronger than hydrogen bonding, and GMA as a crosslinking agent was used to generate post‐covalent‐crosslinking networks through radical polymerization. This enhanced the cohesion so the diffusion of water molecules could be overcome. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, underwater adhesion measurements, and tensile tests were used to characterize the chemical and mechanical properties of the as‐obtained adhesive. This led to an adhesive with a better mechanical strength and interfacial adhesion in water, and the results show that the mechanical properties (tensile strength, Young's modulus, and tensile elongation) of the GMA–PU adhesive were higher than those of the pure PU. As for the 4% GMA, the tensile strength was enhanced by 24.3% and the elongation was enhanced by 125.23% over those of the pure PU. This confirmed that the incorporation of GMA into the PU matrix indeed induced increasing cohesion, and the sample's adhesive strength was 21.19 ± 3.9 MPa; this indicated a superior adhesive strength over that of the pure PU. In addition, we can foresee that underwater adhesion will play an important role in prospective surgery and engineering areas. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46579.     

CNT-reinforced adhesive joint between grit-blasted steel substrates fabricated by simple resin pre-coating method

A simple method of applying and distributing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) onto grit-blasted steel substrates has been investigated in this study to overcome the difficulty of mixing MWCNTs in epoxy adhesives forming the MWCNT-reinforced adhesive joints. MWCNTs were dispersed in an acetone and resin (no hardener) solution with the weight ratio of 1:3:100 for MWCNT/resin/acetone, which was then applied onto the grit-blasted steel substrates. After evaporation of acetone, an ultra-thin layer of resin pre-coating kept well-distributed MWCNTs within the micro-cavities created by grit blasting. Epoxy adhesives (with hardener) were then applied to bond the steel substrates to create MWCNTs-reinforced adhesive joints. The results show that the MWCNT pre-coating (PC) method is beneficial to strong adhesive bonding. Most importantly, the MWCNT-PC method can be easily applied for structural applications on site. In the current study, MWCNTs were simply dispersed in the acetone and resin (no hardener) solution by simple rod stirring for around 1 minute, which can be adopted for large-scale applications. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations on fracture surfaces and cross sections of the MWCNT-reinforced adhesive joints showed MWCNT micro-bundles were well dispersed within the epoxy adhesive joints taking the contour of microscopically uneven substrate surfaces.     

Influence of dual-component microcapsules on self-healing efficiency and performance of metal-epoxy composite-lap joints

Dual-component microcapsules were synthesized by solvent evaporation technique using epoxy resin and hardener as core materials and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as shell wall materials. Morphology, core content, and size distribution of microcapsules were monitored by controlling the various processing parameters such as agitation speed, core–shell weight ratio, and concentration of emulsifiers. The molecular structure, morphologies, and thermal characteristics of the microcapsules were examined under Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. Synthesized dual-component microcapsules were entrenched into the epoxy polymer to introduce the healing features in single lap shear epoxy adhesive joints. Healing efficiency as high as 89% was achieved when 10 wt% dual-component microcapsules were introduced in adhesives. Investigation of the fractured surfaces of the healing enabled adhesives reveals the presence of crack pinning and crack blunting sites represented by characteristic tails at the wake of microcapsules in cohesive zone. Such failure mechanisms responsibly influence the healing efficiency.     

Shear strength of epoxy adhesive joint between steel substrates with indented patterns

Indented patterns, about 40 μm wide and 30 μm deep, were created by pressing down a hardened steel file onto the surface of steel substrates using Instron test machine. We examined the penetration of epoxy into those micro-indented patterns and their interactions with Kevlar fibres (diameter of around 12 μm), and their influences on the shear strength of epoxy adhesive joints. To ensure complete wetting of the patterned substrate surface, resin pre-coating was applied first. Three different acetone/resin (without hardener) solutions were prepared for this purpose: they contained 1 wt%, 3 wt% and 5 wt% of resin in acetone, respectively. For the purpose of comparison, plain steel substrates polished by #120 sandpaper were also prepared. It had been found that the patterned substrate coated by the 3 wt% resin/acetone solution yielded the highest shear strength, showing about 20% improvement in comparison with that of polished steel substrates. Only limited Kevlar fibres were found within the indented patterns due to their relatively large spacing and shallowness, and, furthermore, due to the random fibre distribution of Kevlar fibres of around 14 mm in length. The limited Kevlar fibre bridging activities were reflected by only around 4% improvement in the shear strength.     

Thermal properties,adhesive strength,and optical transparency of cyclolinear poly(aryloxycyclotriphosphazenes)

Four cyclolinear poly(aryloxycyclotriphosphazenes) derived from poly[4,4′‐(isopropoylidene)diphenoxytetrachlorocyclotriphosphazene] and poly[4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphenoxytetrachlorocyclotriphosphazene] were synthesized from the reaction of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (HCP) with 4,4′‐(isopropylidene)diphenol (bisphenol A) or 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphenol (bisphenol AF) in molar ratio 1 : 1 via a one‐step condensation polymerization. Subsequent reaction of the resulted chlorine‐bound polymers with adequate amount of the sodium salts of 4‐methoxycarbonylphenoxide or 4‐propoxycarbonylphenoxide yielded the corresponding chlorine‐free polymers, [poly(tetra‐4‐methoxycarbonylphenoxy)‐4,4′‐(isopropoylidene)diphenoxy cyclotriphosphazene] (MBACP), [poly(tetra‐4‐propoxycarbonylphenoxy)‐4,4′‐(isopropoylidene)diphenoxycyclotriphosphazene] (PBACP), [poly(tetra‐4‐methoxycarbonylphenoxy)‐4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphenoxycyclotriphosphazene] (MBAFCP), [poly(tetra‐4‐propoxycarbonylphenoxy)‐4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphenoxycyclotriphosphazene] (PBAFCP), respectively. The chemical structures were characterized by Fourier transformer infrared, ¹H, and ¹³C‐NMR. Thermal properties of polymers were investigated using DSC and TGA analysis. The obtained polymers were thermoplastic, having moderate T_g values in the range of 26–78°C and good thermal stability up to 350°C in N₂ and O₂ gases. The thermal decomposition of the isopropylidene‐containing polymers is a one‐step process, while that of hexafluoroisopropylidene‐containing polymers is a two‐step process. However, presence of the latter group in the polymers backbone showed negligible effects on the thermo‐oxidative stability. The adhesive strength was measured by lap‐shear strength test on glass–glass bonded joint and found to be in the range of 1.78–2.62 MPa, this property may be attributed to the physical interactions between glass–glass interfaces and the polar‐pendant units present at the polymers backbone. The products showed high optical transparency when they applied between two glass surfaces, the adhesive layers were colorless, with the UV cut‐off wavelength of 300–302 nm, and the maximum transparency of about 90% was observed within the wavelengths range of 400–700 nm. Because of their properties, the cyclolinear poly(aryloxycyclotriphosphazenes) synthesized in this study are recommended as potential candidates for high thermally stable, transparent adhesives required in industrial applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011.     

Effect of Temperature on the Joints Strength of an Automotive Polyurethane Adhesive

In this paper, the performance of an automotive polyurethane adhesive was studied through adhesive joints tests. Butt joints and single lap joints were fabricated and tested at seven temperature measuring points (TMPs). It is shown that both the tensile strength and lap shear strength decrease with the increasing of temperature. Quadratic polynomial expression obtained by the least square method can represent the tensile and lap shear strength as a function of temperature very well. ?40°C, 0°C, and 90°C were selected as the most ideal TMPs for this adhesive through the comparison of the residual sums of squares of 35 fitting curves with different combination of TMPs. Scarf joints with adhesive angles of 60° and 30° were fabricated and tested at ?40°C, 0°C, and 90°C. It also showed a decrease in joint strength with the increasing temperature. Joint strength as a function of adhesive angle is presented. It was found to closely follow a linear behaviour. A three-dimensional surface, consisting of temperature, adhesive angle, and joint strength, is presented finally to facilitate the design of automotive bonding structures.     

Processing study of a high temperature adhesive

An adhesive-bonding process cycle study was performed for a polyimidesulphone. The high molecular weight, linear aromatic system possesses properties which make it attractive as a processable, low-cost material for elevated temperature applications. The results of a study to better understand the parameters that affect the adhesive properties of the polymer for titanium alloy adherends are presented. These include the tape preparation, the use of a primer and press and simulated autoclave processing conditions. The polymer was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, glass transition temperature determination, flow measurements, and weight loss measurements. The lap shear strength of the adhesive was used to evaluate the effects of the bonding process variations.     

A comparative study on effects of thermal fatigue caused by thermal-oil cycling on tensile properties of single lap composite joints bonded with different kinds of adhesives

In this study, thermal-oil cycling process was applied to adhesively bonded glass fibre reinforced single lap composite joints (SLJs) in order to investigate the effects of thermal fatigue on their tensile properties. Joints were subjected to thermal cycling to achieve the thermal fatigue effect. Initially, separated specimens were heated on a magnetic stirrer from 25°C to 80°C, 25°C to 100°C and 25°C to 120°C and kept at these temperatures for 10 min. Right after that specimens were immersed into heat transfer oil cooled with dry ice at ?10°C for 10 min. and placed back into the magnetic stirrer to reach intended temperatures again. Thus, one cycle is completed. This thermal cycling process was repeated for 1, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 times for different groups of specimens. Single lap shear (SLS) tests have been performed for the determination of mechanical properties. As a result of this study, it is found that the load carrying capacities of specimens generally decrease as the thermal cycling count is increased. However, it is observed that specimens subjected to 30 times thermal cycling have the maximum load carrying capacity.     

Lowering curing temperature in adhesive bonding of aluminum AA6061-T4

ABSTRACT

To minimize the part distortion and investment in the E-coat oven in adhesive bonding of metals for automotive applications, lowering the curing temperature of adhesive without apparent loss of the joint strength is desirable. The key to lower the curing temperature of adhesive bonding of lightweight materials is to accelerate the curing process of structural adhesives. In this study, curing agent (i.e., aliphatic polyamine) and curing accelerator (i.e., acetylacetone salt) were added into commercial Henkel 5089 adhesive and the effect of these curing additives on the curing temperature of Henkel 5089 in adhesive bonding of aluminum AA6061-T4 was studied. The test results showed that the addition of a curing agent and accelerator in Henkel 5089 lowered the curing temperature from 177°C to 130°C without sacrificing the strength of the adhesive-bonded aluminum AA6061-T4.     

Effect of reinforcements at different scales on mechanical properties of epoxy adhesives and adhesive joints: a review

Improvement of the mechanical properties of adhesives and adhesive joints has been a subject of great interest in recent years. Up to now, several methods have been presented such as modifying substrate shapes, adding microparticles (MPs) and nanoparticles (NPs), and embedding micro and macrofibers in the adhesive layer. This review aims to investigate how these reinforcements of different scales in the adhesive layer influence the mechanical properties of adhesive joints and adhesives. Characteristics and applications of reinforcements are introduced in the first part. In the second part, the effects of several parameters commonly investigated by researchers on the strength, stiffness and fracture toughness improvement of polymeric materials are reviewed for reinforcements of different scales. Finally, damage mechanisms involved in increasing or decreasing the mechanical properties are reviewed and discussed.     

Effect of temperature on the shear strength of aluminium single lap bonded joints for high temperature applications

An experimental and numerical investigation into the shear strength behaviour of adhesive single lap joints (SLJs) was carried out in order to understand the effect of temperature on the joint strength. The adherend material used for the experimental tests was an aluminium alloy in the form of thin sheets, and the adhesive used was a high-strength high temperature epoxy. Tensile tests as a function of temperature were performed and numerical predictions based on the use of a bilinear cohesive damage model were obtained. It is shown that at temperatures below T_g, the lap shear strength of SLJs increased, while at temperatures above T_g, a drastic drop in the lap shear strength was observed. Comparison between the experimental and numerical maximum loads representing the strength of the joints shows a reasonably good agreement.     

Resolving lateral variations in the frequency dependence of adhesive properties at the surface of a model pressure sensitive adhesive

A commercial scanning probe microscope may be used to laterally resolve qualitative differences in the frequency dependence of material properties at the surface of a model pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA). In a heterogeneous PSA made from polyisoprene and a wood rosin derivative, both the polymer‐rich matrix and tackifier‐rich domains regions at the surface appear stiffer and show higher adhesive force when increasing the testing frequency from 0.01 to 1 Hz at room temperature. The limited frequency range of the instrument and piezo creep constrain the applicability of the approach. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 400–404, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10369     

Effects of radio frequency and heat on wood bonding with a poly(vinyl acetate) dispersion adhesive

Water‐based poly(vinyl acetate) dispersions are widely used as wood adhesives with dielectric heating systems. However, little is known about the effects of radio frequency (RF) exposure or heat on the adhesive characteristics and on the performances of bonded joints. In this study, the properties of bonded joints exposed to RF were compared with hot pressing and with standard drying, and the observed behavior was explained. Joint characteristics were evaluated by means of both conventional (e.g., shear strength in both dry and wet conditions, etc.) and unconventional (e.g., bondline temperature, moisture content at interface, etc.) procedures, and also selected properties of polymeric film were measured (e.g., water absorption, analysis of the fraction dissolved in water, glass transition temperature [T_g], etc.) to explicate the observed differences. Results evidenced that the effect of both RF and heating was to appreciably speed up the drying process. However, when high values of energetic impulse (owing to both hot pressing and RF) were given to the assemblies, permanent changes were induced into the polymeric glueline. This occurrence was a time‐driven process and reflected mainly on the mechanical performance in wet conditions, which improved appreciably in comparison to the standard reference series. The reason of such behavior was connected to the poly(vinyl alcohol) phase present inside the polymer, and a role was also assigned to AlCl₃, used as complexing agent of the polymeric protective colloid. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Synthesis of polyurethane acrylates by hydrogenated castor oil and dimer‐based polyester diol and study on pressure‐sensitive adhesive

Synthesis of polyurethane acrylate (PUA) and preparation of the UV‐cured pressure‐sensitive adhesives (PSA) are reported. Molecular weight (M_w) (by gel permeation chromatography) and viscosity (η*) of PUA were measured. Characterization of PUA and PSA before and after UV‐curing was made by FTIR. Increase of the hydroxyls from hydrogenated castor oil/hydroxyls from dimer‐based polyester diol (OH_HCO/OH_Diol) ratio decreased the M_w and η* value of PUA. Dynamic viscoelastic properties (by dynamic rheological spectrometer) and performance of the UV‐cured PSA were also studied. Increase of the OH_HCO/OH_Diol ratio increased the storage modulus (G′), the loss modulus (G″), and complex viscosity (Eta*) of the UV‐cured PSA, which, in turn, enhanced holding power and shear adhesion failure temperature (SAFT) and yet decreased peeling strength. Substitution of OB for DBTDL depressed the M_w and η* value of PUA, while the G″ and Eta* values of the UV‐cured PSA were elevated, which, in turn, increased the holding power and SAFT and yet depressed the peeling strength. Elevation of the tackifying resin content depressed the G′, G″, and Eta* values of the cured PSA and yet increased glass transition temperatures (T_g) of PSA, measured by differential scanning calorimetry. Peeling strength of PSA elevated as increasing the tackifying resin, while the holding power and SAFT fell. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 1814–1821, 2005