Accelerated Curing of Adhesives in Bonded Joints by Induction Heating

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study on the use of induction heating for rapid curing of a commercially available room-temperature curing paste adhesive, with a view to application in the repair of composite structures. The repair of damaged composite structures using adhesively bonded patches is often a very time-consuming process. This is partly due to the long times required for complete and satisfactory cure of the adhesive systems used. While the curing process can be accelerated by application of heat through devices such as heating blankets and lamps, these methods are inefficient since considerable heat is lost to the surrounding material and environment. The method of electromagnetic heating, however, is well suited for rapid and localized heating of the adhesive bondline provided suitable susceptors are used. In this paper, it is shown that induction heating can be successfully used to cure a room-temperature curing paste adhesive. Furthermore, results of single lap shear and double notched shear specimen tests show no substantial reduction in the strength of bonded joints with the use of embedded susceptors.