Experimental investigation of the effect of the functional pattern of laser surface treatment on the strength of aluminum/composite adhesive bonded joint in the mode I fracture

The proper method for jointing Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) to aluminum, which causes uniform stress distribution, more suitable fatigue performance and weight reduction, is adhesive bonded joint. In adhesive bonding, the interface of adhesives and adherent are sensitive areas for the initiation and propagation of failure. In order to eliminate surface contamination, adherents must be surface treated. In this research, the effect of the functional pattern of laser surface treatment on the strength of aluminum/composite adhesive bonded joint in the mode I fracture has been investigated. At first, laser surface treatments were performed throughout the specimen in order to find the parameters of the laser device that increase the strength of the adhesive bonding by creating a suitable surface quality. After that, the functional pattern of laser surface treatment with the appropriate parameters for ablation and cleaning of the adhesive surface is done. The results show a 15.5% increase in the critical strain energy release rate of the mode I for the all-over laser surface treatment specimen compared to the sanding method. Meanwhile, with the functional pattern of laser surface treatment, the critical strain energy release rate of the mode I has increased by 5.9% and 22.4% compared to all-over laser surface treatment and sanding, respectively. Examining the fracture surface of the specimen shows the delay in crack growth in the specimen of the functional pattern with changes from the adhesive failure to the fiber tearing, which has improved the strength of the adhesive bonding.