Relationship between the developed interfacial area ratio and the adhesion of the bonded joint

Abstract

Bonding technologies have evolved significantly over the past decades, playing a crucial role in the field of joining technologies. To date, however, there is no consensus among research groups as to whether surface texture or surface wettability, or both, affect the strength of bonded joints. Bonded joints, as a bonding technique, are highly dependent on the chemical composition of the adhesive or binder. It is also important to note that the strength and the quality of a bonded joint is greatly influenced by surface adhesion and its related phenomena. From a materials science perspective, surface adhesion is characterised by the level of surface wetting and the total surface energy. In addition, microtopographies and other geometrical features play a key role in bond formation. In this research, the goal is to create controlled microtopographies on DP600 steel surfaces, mainly using femtosecond pulsed laser surface treatment techniques. The ability of adhesives to fill microtopographies specifically, the extent and manner in which micro-scale geometries and structures are filled is also investigated. This allows for the establishment of correlations between the strength of adhesive bonds and the shape characteristics of the microtopography, both in the surface-activated and non-surface-activated states.