Rapid surface activation of carbon fibre reinforced PEEK and PPS composites by high-power UV-irradiation for the adhesive joining of dissimilar materials
Dong Quan (TU Delft - Structural Integrity & Composites)
Brian Deegan (Henkel Ireland Operations & Research Ltd.)
Lorcán Byrne (ENBIO Ltd)
Gennaro Scarselli (University of Salento)
Alojz Ivankovic (University College Dublin)
Neal Murphy (University College Dublin)
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Abstract
Carbon fibre reinforced poly-etherether-ketone (PEEK) and poly-phenylene-sulfide (PPS) composites were rapidly surface-treated by high-power UV light, and then adhesively bonded to aluminium 2024-T3 and carbon fibre/epoxy composites. The results of a single lap-shear joint test demonstrated that a UV-treatment lasting for 5 s was sufficient to prevent joint failure occurring at the composite/adhesive interfaces in all cases, e.g. it increased the failure strength of the PPS composite/aluminium joints from 11.1 MPa to 37.5 MPa. Moreover, the composite/adhesive interfaces performed well upon an exposure of the joints to an environment of high humidity and temperature for 8 weeks. Additionally, an investigation lasting for 6 months showed no degradation of the surface functionalisation from UV-irradiation. Overall, this work highlights high-power UV-irradiation a very promising method for surface preparation of thermoplastic composites (TPCs) for adhesive joining, i.e. TPC adhesive joints with excellent structural integrity can be obtained by using this rapid, eco-friendly and low-cost surface-treatment method.
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