Network structure in epoxy aluminium bonds after mechanical treatment

Mechanical pretreatment is the oldest and most common technique for improving the performance of adhesive metal bonds. But it is poorly understood, how mechanical pretreatment affects the surface state of the metal adherend and how in turn the pretreated surface influences the properties of the applied adhesive or the whole joint, respectively. This paper describes how mechanical pretreatment by blasting with alumina grit or with glass beads changes the topography and the chemical state of an aluminium adherend. For an epoxy adhesive different network structures evolve in joints of the pretreated aluminium adherend. These network structures are referred to the chemical states of the pretreated adherend. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.