This thesis deals with pre-treatment of surface of aluminium alloys. The theoretical part focuses on the properties of aluminium and its alloys, on methods of surface treatment and the possibilities of quality assessment of pre-treated surface. The experimental part deals with finding of a proper method of pre-treatment. The quality of surface pre-treatment is assessed by observation by SEM with EDS and by single lap shear tests of adhesive joints. According to evaluated results, the optimalised methods are qualitatively and financially compared with the commercial method.

The thesis focuses on comparisons of usability of distinct types of glues to attach specimens. The specimens were glued using 4 types of glue: BISON Power Adhesive, BISON Epoxy Universal, PATTEX Repair Epoxy 5 min and a mixture of acetone with diluted ABS plastic as the last. The specimens underwent tensile and impact tests. For the tensile test, the specimens were made in 3 variants: blunt frontal joint, bevelled joint and gradually folded joint. For the impact test, the specimens were made in the form of a rod with a V-shaped notch. All variants of the joints consisted of 5 specimens with 3 unglued specimens for reference. The testing was conducted on the ZD 10/90 tensile strength machine and a Charpy impact test machine from the WPM company. The thesis contains technical-economic evaluation of the results of the tests with comparisons of the individual glues and forms.

The stress and strength behavior of cylindrical tubular adhesive joints composed of dissimilar materials was explored. This was accomplished with the finite element method (FEM) and stress-based failure theories. Also, it was shown how a design of experiments (DOE) based method can be used to objectively organize the process of optimizing joint strength by using stress-based failure criteria. The finite element program used in this work was written in-house from scratch to implement the FEM for the purpose of solving both axisymmetric and three-dimensional linear elastic governing equations of static equilibrium. The formulation of the three-dimensional model is presented, and the required operations to arrive to the axisymmetric model are also presented. The axisymmetric model is two dimensional, capable of using four and eight node quadrilateral elements. However, only four node elements are used because a mesh of eight node elements requires more memory and increased mesh refinement. The three-dimensional model is capable of using eight and twenty node brick elements, but only eight node brick elements are used for the same reason. Both of the axisymmetric and three-dimensional models calculate the nodal displacements, strains, stress values for each material, and strength values for each material. The external static loads can be individually applied, or coupled together. The outputs seem to be most useful for interpretation when plotted through-the-thickness (TTT) and along-the-length (ATL) of the joint or tube. Outputs are valid only for materials that behave linearly elastic up to(or near) failure, and the stress-based failure criteria are used to define that limit. A small laboratory-sized joint was modeled to look at the theoretical stress and strength distributions plotted along-the-length of the joint at different radial locations. These stress and strength distributions can be correlated to the type of load being applied because of unique or prominent features seen in the stress and strength distributions. The load can be a uniform temperature change, axial load, torque load, internal and external pressure, and/or bending load. A variance in the stress or strength for different joint sizes and materials is not examined closely due to the many possible combinations of these parameters.

No description available.

The primary focus of this thesis was to investigate the critical strain energy release rates (G) for mixed-mode (I/II) fracture of wood adhesive joints. The aims of the study were: (1) quantifying the fracture properties of two material systems, (2) analyzing the aspects that influence the fracture properties of bonded wood, (3) refining test procedures that particularly address layered orthotropic systems in which the layers are not parallel to the laminate faces, of which wood is often a particular case, and (4) developing testing methods that enhance the usefulness of performing mixed-mode tests with a dual-actuator load frame. The material systems evaluated experimentally involved yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), a hardwood of the Magnoliaceae family, as adherends and two different adhesives: a moisture-cure polyurethane (PU) and a phenol/resorcinol/-formaldehyde (PRF) resin. The geometry tested in the study was the double cantilever beam that, in a dual-actuator load frame, can be used for testing different levels of mode-mixity. The mixed-mode loading condition is obtained by applying different displacement rates with the two independently controlled actuators of the testing machine. Characteristic aspects such as the large variability of the adhesive layer thickness and the intrinsic nature of many wood species, where latewood layers are alternated with earlywood layers, often combine to confound the measures of the critical values of strain energy release rate, Gc. Adhesive layer thickness variations were observed to be substantial also in specimens prepared with power-planed wood boards and affect the value of Gc of the specimens. The grain orientation of latewood and earlywood, materials that often have different densities and elastic moduli, limits the accuracy of traditional standard methods for the evaluation of Gc. The traditional methods, described in the standards ASTM D3433-99 and BS 7991:2001, were originally developed for uniform and isotropic materials but are widely used by researchers also for bonded wood, where they tend to confound stiffness variations with Gc variations. Experimental analysis and analytical computations were developed for quantifying the spread of Gc data that is expected to be caused by variability of the adhesive layer thickness and by the variability of the bending stiffness along wooden beams. / Ph. D.

The main objective of the project was to establish a fracture-mechanics energy-based approach for the design of structural adhesive joints under cyclic loading. This required understanding how an adhesive system behaved near its fatigue threshold, and how the key factors affected this behavior in a fresh undegraded joint. The investigated factors were mode ratio (phase angle), substrate material, surface treatment and surface roughness (both affecting the bond strength), bondline thickness and load ratio. It was first required to understand how the adhesive system behaved under quasi-static loading by examining a fracture mechanics-based design approach for adhesive systems with different substrate materials and geometries. Experiments were initially performed to characterize the strength of aluminum and steel adhesive systems based on the fracture envelope, critical strain energy release rate as a function of the mode ratio. Ultimate failure loads of aluminum and steel adhesive joints, having different overlap end conditions and different geometries were then experimentally measured. These values were compared with the failure loads extracted from the fracture envelope. Considering the toughening behavior of the adhesive in the fracture mechanics analyses, a very good agreement (average of 6%) was achieved between the predictions and experiments for all types of overlap end conditions and geometries. Different fatigue threshold testing approaches, which are commonly used in the literature or suggested by the ASTM standard, were evaluated for the cracked and intact fillet joints. Based on the experimental and analytical studies, the most appropriate technique for fatigue testing and characterization of adhesive systems was suggested. Comparing the mixed-mode near-threshold behavior of different adhesive systems with the fracture behavior and fatigue mode-I and mixed-mode high crack growth rates showed the high sensitivity of the mixed-mode near-threshold fatigue to the subtle changes in the interfacial bond strength. In order to make a baseline for the design of adhesive joints under cyclic loading, similar to the previous fracture tests and following the energy-based approach, fatigue behavior was characterized as a function of the loading mode ratio for aluminum and steel adhesive joints. The effect of substrate material, surface treatment, bondline thickness, surface roughness and fatigue testing load ratio on the near-threshold fatigue behavior of adhesives joints was evaluated experimentally. The experimental observations were then explained using finite element modeling. To generalize the conclusions, the majority of experiments and studies covered a broad range of crack growth rates, as low as fatigue threshold and as high as 10-2 mm/cycle. Having understood the significant testing and design parameters, an adhesive system can be designed based on a safe cyclic load that produces an insignificant (for automotive industry) or reasonably low but known crack growth rate (for aerospace industry).

Thesis (M.S.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-72).

The relationship between crack path and test method was examined by comparing the performance of adhesive-adherend combinations (six) in quasi-static fracture, mixed-mode fatigue, and creep crack growth. Crack paths in creep and quasi-static fracture were similar due to similar crack-tip plastic zone sizes in the epoxy adhesive even though the crack growth rates in creep were much smaller. Under condensed moisture and mixed-mode, creep and threshold fatigue tests produced interfacial failure. Under room-temperature dry environment, near threshold mixed-mode fatigue was interfacial, but was not in creep or quasi-static fracture. Smaller plastic zone size and crack path proximity to the interface that followed increased the sensitivity of near threshold, mixed-mode fatigue to surface properties. Therefore, the interfacial or cohesive failure of an adhesive system, which may judge the quality of the bond, can be a function of the test being conducted and may not be an absolute indicator of joint quality.

The relationship between crack path and test method was examined by comparing the performance of adhesive-adherend combinations (six) in quasi-static fracture, mixed-mode fatigue, and creep crack growth. Crack paths in creep and quasi-static fracture were similar due to similar crack-tip plastic zone sizes in the epoxy adhesive even though the crack growth rates in creep were much smaller. Under condensed moisture and mixed-mode, creep and threshold fatigue tests produced interfacial failure. Under room-temperature dry environment, near threshold mixed-mode fatigue was interfacial, but was not in creep or quasi-static fracture. Smaller plastic zone size and crack path proximity to the interface that followed increased the sensitivity of near threshold, mixed-mode fatigue to surface properties. Therefore, the interfacial or cohesive failure of an adhesive system, which may judge the quality of the bond, can be a function of the test being conducted and may not be an absolute indicator of joint quality.

The main objective of the project was to establish a fracture-mechanics energy-based approach for the design of structural adhesive joints under cyclic loading. This required understanding how an adhesive system behaved near its fatigue threshold, and how the key factors affected this behavior in a fresh undegraded joint. The investigated factors were mode ratio (phase angle), substrate material, surface treatment and surface roughness (both affecting the bond strength), bondline thickness and load ratio. It was first required to understand how the adhesive system behaved under quasi-static loading by examining a fracture mechanics-based design approach for adhesive systems with different substrate materials and geometries. Experiments were initially performed to characterize the strength of aluminum and steel adhesive systems based on the fracture envelope, critical strain energy release rate as a function of the mode ratio. Ultimate failure loads of aluminum and steel adhesive joints, having different overlap end conditions and different geometries were then experimentally measured. These values were compared with the failure loads extracted from the fracture envelope. Considering the toughening behavior of the adhesive in the fracture mechanics analyses, a very good agreement (average of 6%) was achieved between the predictions and experiments for all types of overlap end conditions and geometries. Different fatigue threshold testing approaches, which are commonly used in the literature or suggested by the ASTM standard, were evaluated for the cracked and intact fillet joints. Based on the experimental and analytical studies, the most appropriate technique for fatigue testing and characterization of adhesive systems was suggested. Comparing the mixed-mode near-threshold behavior of different adhesive systems with the fracture behavior and fatigue mode-I and mixed-mode high crack growth rates showed the high sensitivity of the mixed-mode near-threshold fatigue to the subtle changes in the interfacial bond strength. In order to make a baseline for the design of adhesive joints under cyclic loading, similar to the previous fracture tests and following the energy-based approach, fatigue behavior was characterized as a function of the loading mode ratio for aluminum and steel adhesive joints. The effect of substrate material, surface treatment, bondline thickness, surface roughness and fatigue testing load ratio on the near-threshold fatigue behavior of adhesives joints was evaluated experimentally. The experimental observations were then explained using finite element modeling. To generalize the conclusions, the majority of experiments and studies covered a broad range of crack growth rates, as low as fatigue threshold and as high as 10-2 mm/cycle. Having understood the significant testing and design parameters, an adhesive system can be designed based on a safe cyclic load that produces an insignificant (for automotive industry) or reasonably low but known crack growth rate (for aerospace industry).