Joining Composite Parts With Off-Stoichiometric Matrix Reflow

Adhesive bonding is an attractive alternative
to fasteners for composite part assembly. In
addition to superior performance, it reduces
weight and eliminates costly manufacturing
processes. However, current adhesive
bonding methods are highly susceptible to
contamination flaws, and it is difficult to verify
bonds because nondestructive testing to
quantify bond strength is still under
development. In aerospace applications, this
often results in fasteners being added to
provide redundant load paths. Co-cured
parts can provide an alternative because
they can be inspected using traditional nondestructive evaluation techniques such as
ultrasound. However, co-curing can only be
accomplished for a limited range of
geometries. NASA’s Adhesive Free Bonding
of Composites (AERoBOND) is an
alternative method for bonding composite
parts. The goal of this study was to further
develop and understand the capabilities of
this novel bonding technique.