Effects of applying a combination of surface treatments on the mechanical behavior of basalt fiber metal laminates

• Published in: International journal of adhesion and adhesives 2019-07, Vol.92, p.133-141
• Main Authors: Mehr, M. Emami, Aghamohammadi, H., Abbandanak, S.N. Hosseini, Aghamirzadeh, Gh R., Eslami-Farsani, R., Siadati, S.M.H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adhesion; Adhesion tests; Adhesive joints; Basalt; Bend strength; Bend tests; Bending behavior; Etching; Fiber metal laminates; Fracture surfaces; Impact behavior; Impact strength; Impact tests; Mechanical properties; Morphology; Sandblasting; Scanning electron microscopy; Sulfuric acid; Sulfuric acid anodizing; Surface roughness; Surface treatment; Surface treatments
• ISSN: 0143-7496; 1879-0127
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijadhadh.2019.04.015

The surface treatment of metals has a great role on the adhesion of the metals to the polymers. There are various surface treatment methods for adhesive joint applications. However, the effect of the combination of surface treatment methods on the mechanical behavior of adhesive joints has not been extensively studied. In this study, the effects of applying a combination of surface treatments on the flexural and Charpy impact behavior of fiber metal laminates (FMLs) were investigated. The surface treatments included forest product laboratory etching (FPL), sulfuric acid anodizing (SAA), sandblasting, sandblasting + FPL and sandblasting + SAA. The FMLs were made from Al2024-T3, basalt fibers and epoxy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the surface morphology of the Al2024-T3 laminates and fracture surface of the samples. Furthermore, the surface roughness of the Al2024-T3 sheets after different surface treatments were evaluated using profilometry. Results showed that the adhesion of Al2024-T3 to polymeric layers was significantly affected by various surface treatments. Results of bending tests indicated that the highest bending strength and strain to failure values were respectively achieved for the SAA and sandblast treated samples. On the other hand, although there was a slight improvement in the bending strength, the application of SAA or FPL etching after sandblasting caused a negative effect on the strain to failure value of the samples. However, impact test findings showed that the combination of FPL or SAA treatments after sandblasting rendered positive effects on the low-velocity impact behavior of the FMLs.