Comparison of Mechanical Properties of Ductile/Brittle Epoxy Resin BFRP-AL Joints under Different Immersion Solutions

Abstract

The bonding properties of BFRP composites have been demonstrated in previous studies, satisfying the strength and durability criteria. In this paper, a further in-depth study is carried out to bond Basalt Fibre Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) to Aluminum Alloy 5052 using two bonding agents, Aralite® 2012 and Aralite® 2015, respectively. The salt sprays under 80 °C, 3.5% NaCl environment; 80 °C, 5% NaCl environment; and pure water environment are also considered for comparison. Experimental results show that joints created with Araldite® 2012 adhesives show higher average breaking strength (10.66 MPa at 720 h) and better ductility in a 5% NaCl environment. While the Araldite® 2015 adhesive joint exhibits a combination of tear failure and interface failure, along with thin-layer cohesion failure. In the SEM images of the two adhesive joints’ failure, fiber pullout due to tension and damage at the interface between fiber and resin is apparent. To validate the experimental outcomes, water absorption testing, DSC, TGA-DTG, and FTIR experiments were conducted on dog-bone-shaped adhesive specimens to elucidate the results.