The Influence of Plasma Surface Treatment on the Fracture Toughness Peel Ply Prepared Bonded Composite Joints

33rd Annual Meeting of the Adhesion Society, Daytona Beach, Florida, 21 Feb 2010 - 24 Feb 2010The increasing use of composite materials in various industries, such as aerospace, automotive and renewable energy generation, has driven a need for a greater understanding of the fracture behaviour of bonded composite joints. An important prerequisite for the adhesive bonding of composites is the existence of a uniform surface free from contaminants and mould release agents. While there are several ways in which this may be achieved, the use of peel plies has emerged as the preferred choice for many industries due to the repeatable nature of the resulting surface, particularly in the highly regulated aerospace industry. The use of peel plies can present some problems. It is possible that contamination from the peel ply can be transferred to the composite substrate and adversely affect the adhesive joint [1]. Plasma treatments have been shown to improve the fracture toughness of adhesively bonded composite joints [2] and can be used to remove contaminants, such as mould release agents, from the surface [3]. The aim of this work is to evaluate the influence of various peel ply treatments on the mode I fracture toughness of different aerospace grade bonded composite joints and to assess the subsequent benefits of employing an atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) surface treatment prior to adhesive bonding in each case.Deposited by bulk import15/10/2013. SB