- By:
- Shin, Yongsoon; Qiao, Yao; Canfield, Nathan; Yu, Zeyang ; Meyer III, Harry M; Merkel, Daniel; Nickerson, Ethan; Kanbargi, Nihal S; Ortiz, Angel; Naskar, Amit K; Simmons, Kevin
- Journal Name:
- Composites Part B: Engineering
- Page Number:
- 110001
- Volume:
- 240
- Publication Date:
- December 27, 2023
- View DOI Listing:
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2022.110001
Abstract
This work proposes an approach to minimize surface energy deactivation of plasma-treated metal and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) surfaces by vacuum sealing. Plasma treatments enhance adhesive wettability on post-treated surfaces for adhesive joints, but the treated surfaces deactivate quickly in air. The surface energy of aluminum alloy AA6061 and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer-polyamide (CFRP-PA66) optimally treated by a blown air plasma instrument returns to the original surface energy within 1 h. Vacuum sealing of AA6061 and CFRP-PA66 reduced the surface energy deactivation over 7 days by at least 230 times and 970 times compared to in air. Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) tests performed on adhesively-bonded AA6061/CFRP-PA66 joints showed that the total energy release and energy dissipation before failure of plasma-treated and vacuum-sealed materials was up to 60% more than plasma-treated materials without vacuum sealing and up to 125% more than non-plasma-treated materials.
