Effect of Low-Temperature Plasma Surface Treatment on Bonding Properties of Single-Lap Joint of Thermosetting Composites

Abstract

Bonding is one of the main forms of composite bonding. In order to investigate the effect of low-temperature plasma surface treatment on the bonding properties of carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy resin composites (CF/EP), a single-lap joint of CF/EP was prepared. The surface of the CF/EP was treated with atmospheric pressure “low-temperature plasma spray” equipment, and the tensile shear strength, surface morphology, surface contact angle and surface chemical composition of the CF/EP before and after plasma treatment were characterized. Finally, the samples were treated with traditional sandblasting, compared and analyzed. The results show that the effect of low-temperature plasma surface treatment on CF/EP joints is better than that of traditional sandblasting treatment. After low-temperature plasma surface treatment, the tensile shear strength of the CF/EP single-lap joint increased by 119.59% at most, and the failure form of the joint changed from untreated interface failure to mixed failure dominated by cohesion failure. Plasma can etch the surface of composite materials, the mechanical interlock between the carbon fiber and glue is enhanced and the bonding performance of the composite is improved. In addition, after low-temperature plasma surface treatment, the introduction of a large number of oxygen-containing active groups such as C-O and C=O can increase the surface free energy, reduce the contact angle and improve the surface activity and wettability of the composites. However, too long a treatment time will lead to excessive plasma etching of carbon fibers, thus weakening the active effect of the oxygen-containing active groups on the surface of the composites, and the surface wettability is no longer improved, but the adhesive properties of CF/EP are reduced. This paper plays a guiding role in the bonding technology of composite materials.

Structure and Deformation Behavior of Polyphenylene Sulfide-Based Laminates Reinforced with Carbon Fiber Tapes Activated by Cold Atmospheric Plasma

“…In addition, microroughness increases on the surface of CFs upon plasma treatment, which, according to the mechanical interlocking theory [ 37 , 38 , 39 ], contributes to an additional increase in adhesion between fibers and polymers [ 40 , 41 ]. Considering the above advantages of the plasma treatment of CFs, many authors are focused on studying this method [ 42 , 43 ], in particular, when fabricating PPS/CF laminates [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. This fact emphasizes the relevance of the topic.…”

Improving film adhesive joining performance of poly(phenylene sulfide)/carbon fiber thermoplastic composite laminates by plasma surface treatment

“…In the literature, it was observed that majority of the studies on the use of plasma surface treatment to improve joining performance of adhesive bonded composite structures were especially conducted for the traditional "thermoset matrix" composites. 15,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] It was revealed that studies for the "thermoplastic matrix" composite structures were still very limited; 32-39 some of them [32][33][34] were conducted only for PP and PEEK matrices not for the PPS matrix; while some of them 35,36 were conducted for joining of glass fiber (GF) reinforced PPS matrix composites onto aluminum or titanium metallic surfaces. Thus, literature survey revealed that only three studies [37][38][39] were related to the effects of plasma surface treatment on the joining performance of adhesive bonded PPS/CF composite structures, as summarized below.…”

“…In the literature, it was observed that majority of the studies on the use of plasma surface treatment to improve joining performance of adhesive bonded composite structures were especially conducted for the traditional “thermoset matrix” composites. 15,18–31 It was revealed that studies for the “thermoplastic matrix” composite structures were still very limited; 32–39 some of them 32–34 were conducted only for PP and PEEK matrices not for the PPS matrix; while some of them 35,36 were conducted for joining of glass fiber (GF) reinforced PPS matrix composites onto aluminum or titanium metallic surfaces.…”