Bond strength between carbon fiber–reinforced plastic tubes and aluminum joints for racing car suspension

According to previous studies, the bond strength between the carbon fiber–reinforced plastics and metals mainly depends on the bond layer between the carbon fiber–reinforced plastic composites and the metal. This article presents the results of the experiments conducted on the tensile bond strength between the carbon fiber–reinforced plastic tubes and aluminum joints. The parameters examined in these experiments include adhesive type, surface roughness of the bonded area, and thickness and length of the bond layer. The results show that the 3M DP-460NS Off-White adhesive was suitable for our experiment. The bonded surfaces of the specimens were smoothened with a P600 sandpaper to achieve higher bond strengths with the adhesive. For the six bond thicknesses tested, a thickness of 0.2 mm was optimal for the tensile experiments. The ultimate tensile force was approximately directly proportional to the bond length.