An economical surface treatment for improving resistance welding strength of carbon fiber/epoxy composites
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: In this study, an Acid-etching surface treatment technique is proposed for treating the surface of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composites to optimize its surface energy and chemical bonding ability for good bonding with thermoplastic resins (PA6), and consequently for high-quality resistance welding of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composites. It was shown that treatment of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composites surfaces with concentrated sulfuric acid for 45 min at 50°C significantly increased the single lap shear strength of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composites welded joints to 21.47 ± 1.2 MPa, which is 163.11% ± 14% higher than that of the welded joints of untreated samples. The Acid-etching surface treatment technique proposed in this study is low-cost, simple, easy to reproduce, and combines innovation, feasibility, and economy. By analyzing the surface morphology, wettability and chemical groups of the surface-treated samples, it can be seen that Acid-etching at appropriate temperature and reasonable time can improve the surface energy of the laminate and introduce oxygen-containing chemical groups on the surface of the laminate to enhance the physical embedding and chemical bonding ability of the laminate surface.
Authors: Pinzhen Chen, Xuhai Xiong
Institution: Shenyang Aerospace University
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Shenyang Aerospace University
OpenAlex ID: W4412772506