Abstract
The main factors that affect the strength of adhesive joints are the exposure to moist environments and high and/or low temperatures. The objective of this paper is to measure the water diffusion in adhesives modified with thermally expandable particles (TEPs) and assess the joint strength of water saturated modified adhesives. Bulk specimens were used to measure the diffusion coefficient of water in a TEPs-modified adhesive. The tensile data as a function of TEPs content, moisture uptake and temperature was measured. It was found that the presence of moisture and the temperature affect the mechanical properties of TEPs-modified adhesive. Further, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was performed in order to examine the fracture surfaces of the tensile specimens tested as a function of temperature and water uptake. SEM analysis showed that the absorbed moisture and temperature change the fracture mechanisms and the morphology of the specimens.
Keywords: Thermally expandable particles (TEPs); structural adhesives; temperature; water uptake; tensile properties