Experimental Investigation on the Joint Efficiency of Grit Blasted and Silica Particle Coated Adhesively Bonded Carbon and Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composite Laminates

Composite material is formed when one or more material is distributed or reinforced in a continuous second phase called a matrix. Composites have many superior properties, including low density, high strength-to-weight ratio, and good durability, which make them attractive in many industries. Composite materials have been used extensively in various applications. In any application where the strength-t- -weight ratio plays a vital and important role, Fibre Re-inforced Polymer’s (FRP) is the best material and offers the most efficient solution. Adhesive bonding is one of the most powerful joining techniques for FRP’s because of its high mechanical properties. It has applications in all the fields like aerospace, marine technology, defence systems, and automotive industries, as well as structural applications and sports. However, the mechanical performance is biased undesirably by contaminants, like release agents, and also an excess of matrix in the top layer. In order to generate the most appropriate surface pre-treatment, their effect on adhesively bonded joints of carbon and glass fibre re-inforced polymer composite laminates have been investigated. The adhesively bonded surfaces are treated with grit blasting and silica particle coating and later tested in order to determine the failure modes. It was found that the mechanical properties of adhesively bonded joints depend on the surface characteristics of the substrate. The results indicate that it is possible to increase the bond strength of the joints to maximum by various surface treatments. 

Keywords: Adhesive bonding, Carbon fibre re-inforced polymer, Grit blasting, Glass fibre re-inforced polymer, Surface treatment, Silica particle coating.