Cast Aluminum Bonding Study

High quality aluminum alloy castings are finding application on Air Force weapon systems due to the significant cost savings over those components machined from plate stock. However, it is unknown if durable adhesively bonded joints can be fabricated using present bonding technology with castings. The cast aluminum alloy used was A357. The surface preparation was phosphoric acid anodize PAA which has proven to be an excellent prep for aluminum plate stock, in particular if durability was considered. Specimens were prepared with two aircraft type epoxy adhesives, and the effects of temperature, environmental exposure, and long-term durability were measured and are presented. It appears that high quality adhesively bonded joints can be achieved using cast aluminum adherends and current aluminum surface preparation technology. Keywords Adhesive bonding, Aluminum castings, Epoxy adhesives, Surface preparation.