Shear properties and failure mechanisms of adhesive bonded composite joint: Effect of glass particle reinforcement

Abstract High‐performance composite structures and effective joining processes are important for shipbuilding, and aerospace sectors to perform better in challenging situations. The importance of this study is to analyze the effect of glass powder‐modified adhesive and joining techniques such as co‐curing (CC), co‐bonding (CB), and secondary bonding (SB) on flexural, shear, and free vibrational characteristics such as natural frequency and damping factor for glass fiber‐reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites. Results revealed that, compared to SB and CB composite joints, 1 wt.% glass powder‐modified CC composite single lap joints (SLJ) enhanced the shear properties by 103.04% and 111.74%, respectively, due to rougher surface formation in the adhesive layer. As a result, it enhanced the fiber's adhesion to the matrix. On the other hand, CC bonded joints with 1 wt.% of glass powder exhibited the highest flexural strength (85.99 Mpa). The experimental free vibrational analysis showed that 1 wt.% glass powder CC composite had a high natural frequency, whereas higher wt.% glass powder increased the damping properties due to the matrix and fiber interaction. The current research reveals that CC technique with 1 wt.% of glass powder provided a significant improvement to the adhesively bonded composite's mechanical and free vibrational characteristics. Highlights Four distinct wt.% of glass powder were used to prepare the glass powder‐modified adhesive by sonication. SLJ glass fiber‐reinforced polymer composite joints were fabricated through CC, CB, and SB techniques Maximum shear and flexural strength were found at CC SLJ 1 wt.% glass powder. CC SLJ 1 wt.% glass powder enhanced better vibrational behavior. Failure surface analysis was conducted using FE‐SEM images.