Stress-free temperature in a mixed-adhesive joint

Adhesive joints used in supersonic aircraft fuselage need to withstand low (−55°C), as well as high (200°C) temperatures. However, there are no adhesives suitable for the whole temperature range. A solution would be a joint with a combination of a low-temperature adhesive and a high-temperature adhesive, called a mixed-adhesive joint. In a bonded joint, the thermal stresses are generated essentially by the different thermal expansion properties of the adhesive and the adherends and, to a lesser extent, by the shrinkage of the adhesive produced by curing. The case of a mixed-adhesive joint is more complicated because there are two adhesives with different glass transition temperatures (T g). To determine the stress-free temperature in a mixed adhesive joint, sandwich specimens of aluminium–adhesive–CFRP (carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic) were fabricated and the thermal strains were measured with strain gauges. In a mixed adhesive joint, two stress-free temperatures were found: the stress-free temperature of the high temperature adhesive, which is its cure temperature, and the stress-free temperature of the low temperature adhesive, which is its T g.