EVALUATION OF THE FRACTURE TOUGHNESS OF COMPOSITE/ADHESIVE INTERFACE APPLIED BY IN-MOLD SURFACE MODIFICATION UNDER MODE II LOADING

摘要

Composite materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) are anticipated to be used regularly in automotive industries to reduce the weight of structures in a bid to decrease fuel consumption. In industries, where large-scale production occurs, efficiently manufactured composite structures are essential [1]. The efficiency of manufacturing composite structures depends on the molding process and secondary fabrication processes such as trimming or surface modification. Despite the wide use of adhesively bonded joints in fiber reinforced plastic structures to avoid stress concentration and for weight reduction, additional surface modification is required to achieve high adhesion strengths [2, 3]. Conventional surface modification techniques such as sand blasting or emery papers, plasma treatment, and chemical etching, which are used as secondary fabrication processes, are excessively time consuming to be applied to mass production. Furthermore, workers without appropriate protection gear may be exposed to the air borne carbon particulates produced or to the harmful chemicals used in these processes [4]. To improve the production of FRP structures, it is essential to reduce the number of secondary processing steps.