Influence of the Surface Composition of Metallic Substrates on the Reactivity and Bonding Properties of Structural Adhesives

Comprehension of the phenomena and conditions of the crosslinking of structural adhesives is invaluable in making performance structures. This crosslinking obviously depends on the formulation of the adhesive: i.e. the nature of the basic resin, of the crosslinking agent, of the various additives and of its composition. The work bears on the study of the crosslinking of epoxy resins in the presence of steels plated with different alloys, with a view to studying the behaviour of the adhesive/support system and investigating the effect on reactivity of the nature of the substrate's surface and the study of the mechanical behaviour of bonded assemblies under shearing. By determining the energy of activation, we have been able to highlight the catalytic effect of the supports on the crosslinking of the epoxy-diamine adhesive under consideration. We have demonstrated the greater efficiency of aluminium on adhesive-substrate interactions. Interaction seems possible between the hydroxyl group of the epoxy and aluminium.