Low-pressure plasma treatment of CFRP substrates for epoxy-adhesive bonding: an investigation of the effect of various process gases

This work reports a systematic and quantitative evaluation of the effects induced on the adhesive properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) substrates by various vacuum cold-plasma treatments. In particular, surface activation of the CFRP substrates was performed using several combination...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of advanced manufacturing technology 2019-06, Vol.102 (9-12), p.3021-3035
Main Authors: Pizzorni, M., Lertora, E., Gambaro, C., Mandolfino, C., Salerno, M., Prato, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abrasion
Activation
Adhesion tests
Adhesive bonding
Adhesive joints
Bonded joints
CAE) and Design
Carbon fiber reinforced plastics
Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD
Engineering
Epoxy resins
Fiber reinforced polymers
Industrial and Production Engineering
Low pressure
Mechanical Engineering
Media Management
Morphology
Nitrogen plasma
Organic chemistry
Original Article
Plasma
Quantitative analysis
Shear strength
Substrates
Surface activation
Surface energy
Wettability
Wetting
X ray photoelectron spectroscopy
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Summary:This work reports a systematic and quantitative evaluation of the effects induced on the adhesive properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) substrates by various vacuum cold-plasma treatments. In particular, surface activation of the CFRP substrates was performed using several combinations of exposure time, plasma power, and processing gas (air, O 2 , Ar and N 2 ). By comparing these plasma treatments with conventional techniques of abrasion and peel ply, it was possible to substantially increase the performance of the adhesively bonded joints made by overlapping the CFRP substrates with a structural epoxy resin. On each differently treated surface, measurements of roughness and of wettability were performed, allowing the evaluation of the increase in surface energy after the plasma treatment. XPS analyses allowed the identification of the chemical state of the substrates and showed an in-depth functionalization of the outer layer of the CFRP material. The experimental results show that an engineered plasma treatment of the CFRP substrates allows one to modify the surface morphology and both wetting and chemical activation properties of the treated surfaces, resulting in an increased mechanical shear strength of the joints.
ISSN:0268-3768
1433-3015
DOI:10.1007/s00170-019-03350-9