AMTAS

The Effect of Surface Treatment on the Degradation of Composite Adhesives

To ensure the longevity of the commercial aircraft fleet, the long term durability of primary aircraft structure must be understood. The degradation of metals and their at tac hments (mechanical and adhesive) has been rigorously studied over the years. The introduction of composite materials in aerospace applications has presented challenges as methodologies that have successfully been used for metals do not always produce reliable results with new materials. This project will consider the effect of surface treatments on composite adherends and accelerated test methods that may be used to reliably compare their long term degradation. Follow-on projects will consider improving durability using nano-reinforced adhesives.

AF555 Hot/Wet Creep Response

This is a Boeing-funded project though the AMTAS center, involving shear lap coupons exposed to hot water and creep stress. We have examined the failure surfaces of the adhesive using SEM. The failure was dominated by adherend failure at the fiber interface, the portion is which increased slightly with moisture content.