Investigation of surface properties explaining the exceptional environmental durability of adhesively bonded grit-blasted aluminum

It is well known that surface pretreatmentof substrates is a key step to ensure the hydrolytic stability of adhesive joints. For many years now, highly efficient aluminum surface pretreatments have been used in numerous fields, ranging from basic industrial to advanced aerospace industry applications. However, for many small and medium enterprises (SMEs), anodizing or conversion coatings are not realistic solutions due to their cost and the technical/scientific resources they require.During recent projects in collaboration with SMEs, simple surface pretreatment approaches were used to meet the requirements of some non-load-bearing and fatigue-free applications involving adhesive bonding. Surprisingly, among the surface pretreatmentsinvestigated, alumina grit-blasting was found to be very efficient in providing durable adhesive joints. Without being an extensive study on the mechanisms that support durability issues, this poster proposes some explanations that might account for these findings.Peer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye