Adhesive joint surface preparation

Depending on fashion, each year different materials have been and are currently used in the manufacturing of shoes, ranging from rubber soles (vulcanized styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), thermoplastic rubber, EPDM) to different polymers (leather, polyurethanes, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene, Phylon). To produce adequate adhesive joints, surface preparation of those materials is required (see part B Surface treatments). Surface preparation procedures for these materials must be quickly developed and the validity of these treatments is generally too short. Several procedures have been established to optimize the upper to sole bonding, most of them are based in the use of organic solvents. Due to environmental and health issues, solvents should be removed from the surface preparation procedure and several environmental friendly procedures for the surface preparation of several materials have been proposed. 

Two aspects of the effects of environmental aging deserve mention here. The first concerns the locus of joint failure, i.e., the path followed by the fracture surface during the breaking of the joint. If structural adhesive joints are prepared correctly, then failure invariably occurs by cohesive fracture through the adhesive layer. However, it is commonly found that after environmental exposure the locus of failure is at, or very close to, the adhesive/adherend interface.As pointed out by Kinloch, this change in... 

The objective of surface treating is to obtain a joint where the weakest link is the adhesive layer and not the interface. Thus, destructively tested joints should be examined for mode of failure. If failure is cohesive (within the adhesive layer or adherend), the surface treatment is the optimum for that particular combination of adherend, adhesive, and testing condition. However, it must be realized that specimens could exhibit cohesive failure initially and interfacial failure after aging. Both adhesive and surface preparations need to be tested with respect to the intended service enviroiunent. 

JOINEXCELL (from AJI - The American Joining Institute). An adhesive selection expert system for use with composite materials. The system consists of a job-planner subsystem which creates a joint schedule, complete joint description, adhesive selection, surface preparation, etc. Also a recorder for Quality Assurance criteria. JOINADSELECT is part of the expert system and identifies appropriate adhesives from 15 major classes of engineering adhesives, given information about adherends and adhesives. Databases for composite adherend properties are included. 

Abstract This chapter constitutes one of the very few reviews in the existing literature on shoe bonding, and it gives an updated overview of the upper to sole bonding by means of adhesives. The surface preparation of rubber soles and both the formulations of polyurethane and polychloroprene adhesives are described in more detail. The preparation of adhesive joints and adhesion tests are also revised. Finally, the most recent development and technology in shoe bonding is described. 

There is a tendency to regard any instant adhesive as the answer to all bonding problems, which is quite wrong. They have their limitations just like any other product and require the same care in their selection and use. Joint surface preparation is just as important and takes just as long as for other adhesives. 

Rider and Amott were able to produce notable improvements in bond durability in comparison with simple abrasion pre-treatments. In some cases, the pretreatment improved joint durability to the level observed with the phosphoric acid anodizing process. The development of aluminum platelet structure in the outer film region combined with the hydrolytic stability of adhesive bonds made to the epoxy silane appear to be critical in developing the bond durability observed. XPS was particularly useful in determining the composition of fracture surfaces after failure as a function of boiling-water treatment time. A key feature of the treatment is that the adherend surface prepared in the boiling water be treated by the silane solution directly afterwards. Given the adherend is still wet before immersion in silane solution, the potential for atmospheric contamination is avoided. Rider and Amott have previously shown that such exposure is detrimental to bond durability. 

In essence, the durability of metal/adhesive joints is governed primarily by the combination of substrate, surface preparation, environmental exposure and choice of adhesive. As stated earlier, the choice of the two-part nitrile rubber modified epoxy system (Hughes Chem - PPG) was a fixed variable, meeting the requirement of initial joint strength and cure cycle and was not, at this time, examined as a reason for joint failure. Durability, as influenced by substrate, surface preparation, and environmental exposure were examined in this study using results obtained from accelerated exposure of single lap shear adhesive joints. 

These samples demonstrated exceptional durability regardless of surface preparation, due to the moisture resistant chemical and physical interlocking of the paint/adhesive interface. In addition, the zinc particles within the paint are encapsulated by the organic resin. Since few, if any, metal oxide sites are available for hydrolysis by moisture at the interface, more durable joints are the end result. 

Although numerous studies (1-3) have described work aimed at establishing criteria for the durability of adhesive joints, a thorough understanding of effects of the chemical and mechanical properties, on the durability of adhesive bonds is lacking. More specifically, the effects of surface preparation and dynamic loading, especially under environmental service conditions, has not been explored in detail for automotive structures. In this paper, a description of the effects of environment on the durability of adhesive bonds is presented. Particular attention is given to... 

The two predominant mechanisms of failure in adhesively bonded joints are adhesive failure or cohesive failure. Adhesive failure is the interfacial failure between the adhesive and one of the adherends. It indicates a weak boundary layer, often caused by improper surface preparation or adhesive choice. Cohesive failure is the internal failure of either the adhesive or, rarely, one of the adherends. 

This work discusses the structure of films formed by a multicomponent silane primer as applied to an aluminum oxide surface as well as the interactions of this primer with the adhesive and oxide to form an interphase region with a distinct composition and properties. The mecanical properties and durability of adhesive joints prepared using this primer system have yet to be evaluated. 

Important Processing Issues. As with conventional adhesive bonding, there are several important issues that cannot be overlooked with weldbonding. Two of the most important issues are joint design and surface preparation. 

To assess the advantages of the weldbonded joint, one must look at the properties of the spot weld alone, the adhesive bond alone, and compare these to the properties of the weldbonded joint. One must also be aware of the physical and environmental effects on the joint. Studies show that weldbonded joints can be stronger than joints that are only spot welded or only adhesively bonded. However, metal thickness, surface preparation, adhesive flow and cohesion, and weld quality can influence the results. 

The outdoor durability of epoxy bonded joints is very dependent on the type of epoxy adhesive, specific formulation, nature of the surface preparation, and specific environmental conditions encountered in service. The data shown in Fig. 15.19, for a two-part room temperature cured polyamide epoxy adhesive with a variety of fillers, illustrates the differences in performance that can occur due to formulation changes. Excellent outdoor durability is provided on aluminum adherends when chromic-sulfuric acid etch or other chemical pretreatments are used. 

For most adhesive bonded metal joints that must see outdoor service, corrosive environments are a more serious problem than the influence of moisture. The degradation mechanism is corrosion of the metal interface, resulting in a weak boundary layer. Surface preparation methods and primers that make the adherend less corrosive are commonly employed to retard the degradation of adhesive joints in these environments. 

Resistance of the adhesive joint to salt climates depends not only on the type of adhesive but also on the method of surface preparation and on the type of primer used. The good bond durability in saltwater exposure of anodized surface pretreated joints has been shown... 

It is impossible to avoid a discussion on prebond surface preparation since it is one of the most important factors in the fabrication of a durable and consistent epoxy adhesive joint. Selection of a proper surface preparation is not an easy task, and the actual implementation of the surface treating process in production is equally daunting. 

Various substrate surface treatments suggested for use with a common epoxy-substrate joint and service environment combinations are discussed in this chapter. Surface preparation processes for a range of specific substrates and detailed process specifications are provided in App. F. The reader is also directed to several excellent texts that provide prebond surface treatment recipes and discuss the basics of surface preparation, the importance of contamination or weak boundary layers, and specific processes for adhesive systems other than epoxy.1,2,3... 

To protect the aluminum joint from the effects of the environment, especially water and corrosion, an artificially thickened oxide layer is generally formed on the surface. Historically, chemical etching as a surface preparation has provided the surest way of obtaining durable adhesive bonds with aluminum. 

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