Pre-Surface Treatment of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites for Enhancement of Adhesion Between Coating and Adherends
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PRE-SURFACE TREATMENT OF CARBON FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITES FOR ENHANCEMENT OF ADHESION BETWEEN COATING AND ADHERENDS A Thesis by Kavya Sree Erukala Bachelor of Technology, JNT University, 2014 Submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the faculty of the Graduate School of Wichita State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science December 2016 ©Copyright 2016 by Kavya Sree Erukala All rights reserved PRE-SURFACE TREATMENT OF CARBON FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITES FOR ENHANCEMENT OF ADHESION BETWEEN COATING AND ADHERENDS The following faculty members have examined the final copy of this thesis for form and content, and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Mechanical Engineering. __________________________________ Ramazan Asmatulu, Committee Chair __________________________________ Rajeev Nair, Committee Member __________________________________ Zheng Chen, Committee Member iii DEDICATION To my parents, my friends, and my country iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Ramazan Asmatulu, for providing me an opportunity to work on this research. His brilliant ideas and guidance through the years have helped me progress in my work efficiently. I am grateful to Manish Shinde and Brandon, who shared their knowledge and essential comments during various stages of my research. I am thankful to my committee members, Dr. Zheng Chen and Dr. Rajeev Nair, and the entire faculty and staff of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Wichita State University for being so helpful at all times. I am also grateful for my laboratory mates—Jeswinder malhi, Azhar Hussain, Aybala Usta, and Goutham Chinni—for their assistance during my initial days in the lab. Last, I am greatly indebted to my family and friends for having immense faith in me and motivating me to keep moving forward. v ABSTRACT One of the most important aspects in manufacturing an aerospace structure is its composite materials. Composite coatings are exposed to many environmental conditions, which can significantly affect them. In this research, three different surface treatments were introduced to examine their effects on the adhesion between the composite coating and the substrate. These treatments were plasma cleaning, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and sanding. A cross-cut test was conducted on the composite panels to assess the adhesion of paint to the substrate after all three treatments. Coating performance analyses were also carried out using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, contact angle, and optical microscopic images. The first set of panels was treated for 4, 8, and 12 minutes with oxygen plasma, and the surface wettability was assessed by contact angle measurement. The second set of panels was treated with UV radiation for 2, 4 and, 8 days, and the surface wettability was also assessed using the contact angle test. A few samples were treated with sandpaper. Two coats of paint, including a primer and a top coat, were used, and the panels were exposed to UV radiation and immersed in water. It was found that untreated panels showed a much higher contact angle of 86°, whereas panels treated with plasma exhibited a 33° water contact angle. In the case of UV radiation, the contact angle of untreated panels was found to be 106°, whereas the contact angle of panels treated with UV radiation was reduced to 47°. Panels treated with sandpaper showed a contact angle of 24°, whereas panels without sandpaper treatment showed a contact angle of 73°. The cross-cut test showed considerable flaking of the coating along the edges and squares of panels that were not treated, and very small flakes along the edges and parts of the grid square on panels that were treated, thus confirming the enhancement of adhesion by plasma, UV, and sanding treatments. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Motivation and Objective .......................................................................................... 2 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Fundamentals of Adhesion ........................................................................................ 4 2.1.1 Adsorption................................................................................................... 4 2.1.2 Chemical Bonding ...................................................................................... 4 2.1.3 Mechanical Interlocking ............................................................................. 5 2.2 Composites in Aviation Industry ............................................................................... 5 2.2.1 Laminates .................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Composites Manufacturing Processes ....................................................................... 9 2.3.1 Hand Lay-Up Process ................................................................................. 9 2.3.2 Vacuum Resin Infusion Method ............................................................... 10 2.3.3 Compression Molding ............................................................................... 12 2.4 Coatings ................................................................................................................... 14 2.4.1 Finishing Materials ................................................................................... 15 2.5 Methods of Applying Finish .................................................................................... 17 2.5.1 Dipping ..................................................................................................... 17 2.5.2 Brushing .................................................................................................... 18 2.5.3 Spraying .................................................................................................... 18 2.6 Coating Degradation and Failure ............................................................................. 21 2.6.1 Adhesion Related Failures ........................................................................ 23 2.6.1.1 Blistering .................................................................................... 23 2.6.1.2 Intercoat Delamination............................................................... 24 2.6.1.3 Undercutting .............................................................................. 26 2.6.1.4 Peeling........................................................................................ 27 2.6.1.5 Flaking and Scaling.................................................................... 28 2.7 Surface Treatments .................................................................................................. 30 2.7.1 Plasma Treatment...................................................................................... 34 2.7.2 UV Treatment ........................................................................................... 35 2.8 Contact Angle .......................................................................................................... 37 2.8.1 Young’s Equation ..................................................................................... 37 2.8.2 Wilhelmy Plate Method ............................................................................ 39 2.8.3 Static Contact Angle Method .................................................................... 39 2.8.4 Tilting Plate Method ................................................................................. 40 2.8.5 Add and Remove Volume Method ........................................................... 41 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Page 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS ...................................................................................... 43 3.1 Materials .................................................................................................................. 43 3.1.1 Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Composite ........................................................ 43 3.1.2 Vacuum System ........................................................................................ 44 3.1.3 Industrial Oven Used for Curing Composites ........................................... 45 3.1.4 Cutting Machine........................................................................................ 45 3.1.5 Plasma Cleaner.......................................................................................... 46 3.1.6 Ultraviolet Chamber.................................................................................. 47 3.1.7 Optical Contact Angle Goniometer .......................................................... 48 3.1.8 Optical Microscope ................................................................................... 49 3.1.9 Sandpaper .................................................................................................. 50 3.1.10 Coatings .................................................................................................... 50 3.1.11 Spray Gun ................................................................................................. 51 3.1.12