The effect of laser surface treatment on the adhesive bonding performance of aluminum alloy

Abstract For the purpose of convenient treatment before gluing and improving the adhesive bonding performance, we compared the tensile shear strengths of epoxy adhesive bonding to 2A12 aluminum with preferred pre-treatments. Taking advantages on both convenience and pre-treatment quality, we investigated the influences of duration of laser treatment on the adhesive bonding strength to obtain the optimized extents of laser treatment. With the analysis of scanning electron microscopy, laser confocal scanning microscopy and contact angle measurements adopted to characterize the surface morphology, roughness and wettability, respectively, we discussed the effects of pre-treatments on the surface status and adhesive bonding. As a result, we proposed a pre-treatment with laser treatment on aluminum to improve adhesive bonding performance, by which the removal of oxide layer, surface roughening and cleaning were easily accomplished before gluing.