Dismantling of aluminum/CFRP bonded assemblies with dismantlable adhesives containing expanded graphite

Abstract

Dismantling behavior of aluminum/carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (aluminum/CFRP) bonded assemblies using dismantlable adhesives was investigated. These adhesives contained expanded graphite (EG) to facilitate the dismantling process by inducing volume expansion during heating. Our objective was to identify the optimal additive conditions of EG, which would allow for easy dismantling while maintaining adequate adhesive strength in aluminum/CFRP bonded assemblies during regular operation. To achieve this, various experiments with adhesives containing EG of different flake sizes and volume fractions were conducted. The experimental results demonstrated that a moderate addition of fine-flake sized (140 μm) EG (5 vol%) tended to provide the desired combination of sufficient adhesive strength and ease of dismantling.

Keywords:

• Dismantling technique
• expanded graphite
• epoxy adhesive
• aluminum alloy
• carbon fiber-reinforced plastic

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Chinatsu Otomo and Naoko Hayashi for their invaluable assistance in conducting the overall experiments. Additionally, I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Naoki Kondo for his support in conducting the tensile tests.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).