This page will document the work and progress involved in selecting and validating an adhesive option for aero-chassis integration.
Document used to compile all work is here:
Things to look for when selecting adhesives
When deciding on what adhesive to use, one of the first things that should come to mind is identifying what substrates need to be bonded together. Most adhesives are engineered for a certain application or a limited set of materials, e.g. only wood or only steels.
For this project, the main substrates involve 4130 chromoly steel and carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). One can begin researching adhesive suppliers that have these types of adhesives and compiling a list of potential options. It is also very useful to contact adhesive suppliers directly to seek their technical expertise on what options they recommend, which can greatly reduce your research time. Some companies may not be in a position to sponsor large quantities of adhesives for free, but they may still try to offer their technical expertise as a substitute for qualifying for our sponsorship rewards.
There are many types of categories of adhesives that are meant for larger or smaller applications. By researching adhesives for your specific application, you will naturally find a common adhesive category that often shows up. Research can also be done on the adhesive categories if one is obliged to specialize in this area.
Our specific application includes large loading and large impact which calls for a stronger adhesive category. Research has found that structural epoxy adhesive are the primary options for this application.
Afterwards, there are many other adhesive factors such as working time, curing time, etc. that will be factored into the final adhesive choice. The primary focus for this project was to find an adhesive that was appropriately specified based on its adhesive strength.
How the adhesive strength required was calculated
The adhesive must sustain all appropriate loading that individual components of the car are expected to withstand. For example, aerobody panels are not expected to be structural as per regulation therefore it only needs to withstand its own weight. The bonding between the chassis and the bottom panel is expected to be structural as per our design requirements for the car to function safely therefore it needs to withstand a 2G bump and vehicle collisions (based on regulation).
The analysis for adhesive strength focused on the larger load scenarios. If an adhesive was selected based on the strength requirement of a larger load scenario, then applications with lesser load conditions will also be accounted for.
Safety Factor of Adhesives can be found on this page:
Adhesive Research (Types of Adhesives, Adhesive Behaviour, Adhesive Design Tips)
Final Decision on Adhesive and Quantity
Testing and Validation