Bonding Carbon fiber parts 1

[fbdesigns1]

hello,
I'm looking for info on bonding 2 carbon fiber parts together. what are the best ways of bonding parts together?

thanks.

 

[Endoyeti]

There are many options open to you depending on the application. Adhesive selection is just one part of it, joint design and fibre orientation at the surface and surface pretreatment all have an effect. If you e-mail me with some details I can help you further

 

[aeroinvent]

If the two parts are already finished, you could wet some peel-ply on the areas to be bonded. After the matrix has set, the peel-ply can be removed, leaving behind a great surface for bonding. The same matrix that was used in the parts could be used for bonding. This method works well, but there maybe a process more suitable to your application that a quick I-net search might reveal.

Alan

 

[fbdesigns1]

well, so far I'm in the research phase. What I'm trying to do is to build an intake manifold for my project car. I've got some experience in fiberglass but I've just started learning about carbonfiber.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290190519

^^^the above link shows an example of what I'm trying to achieve. There are 4 runners/tubes that I want to attach to a flat plate around 1cm thick. the joint must be able to work under 200F of temperatures.

Thanks for the replies and all the help.

 

[fbdesigns1]

hello anyone??? need help.

 

[jediknight]

aeroinvent explained the basics.

3M sell a range of adhesives geared for this type of application. Try the 3M scotchweld family of adhesives.

jedi-knight@fsmail.net

 

[Padlofski]

Having viewed your drawing i would suggest that you either;

Make the plate and tubes as a one piece moulding laying pieces of fabric into the corner such that it forms part of both the plate and the tube.

Make the tubes first, position them and layup the plate around them, again ensure some of the fabric goes up the tube. Obviously this method still requires that the cured parts are prepared for bonding correctly.

Araldite 2014 is good to 120 deg C and bonds well to composites.

As for surface preparation of cured composite parts, the general method is to abrade the surface (180 grit wet & dry) untill the surface gloss is completely gone, solvent rinse the dust away with acetone, MEK or similar fast evaporating solvent, then bond quickly.

If you are making parts and know you are going to be bonding them, put peel ply in the areas to be bonded so that when you have finished trimming the parts the peel ply can be torn off leaving the uniform matt surface ideal for bonding.

A bonded joint is only as strong as the weakest layer, if you want a strong bond, DO NOT wet some peel ply onto an un-prepared surface as suggested by AEROINVENT, if you prepare the surface properly (abrade and rinse) there is no need for a peel ply type surface, if you dont, the resin left behind when the wetted on peel ply is removed will not be properly bonded to the layer beneath and will eventualy come away.

Hope this helps



If a job is worth doing - Do it right.

There is never enough time or money to do the job properly - But there is always enough money to put the job right.

 

[jimnees]

I work in composites every day, there are loads of ways of doing things, all depends on your criteria for manufacture.

 

[TQ]

Just a thought on peel ply for what its worth. Peel ply is not the great short cut it may seem. When looked at carefully, although giving a nice pattern without tack, the actual surface in the pattern is smooth. A cured resin can only be bonded with a mechanical bond by keying in which it does only superficially with peel ply. Peel ply or not a bond should always be prepared as padlofski suggests. Peel ply alone has been linked to at least one major aircraft crash where a c/f component failed - the tail. I work in C/f as well and have tried joints with peel ply alone long ago and was NOT impressed. As our friend says, do it right.

 

[RPstress]

A word of warning: depending on the peel ply, the surface left after removing it can be unsuitable for bonding. Hart-Smith (was it "The Curse of the Nylon Peel Ply"?) and others have interesting things to say on the subject. We always hand abrade with 400 grit. NB: after cleaning with solvent it's common to wash with water, and some people recommend doing a water-break test (checking the surface is clean by whether it supports an unbroken film of water with no blobs).