Abstract
Scarf adhesive joints (SAJs) in carbon fiber composites were fabricated with 5 degrees taper angle and bondline thickness of 0.17 mm. The joints are modified with SiC-nanoparticles and characterized through tensile and fatigue loading at room temperature (RT) and 50 degrees C. The analysis of the hysteresis loop in terms of loss and storage moduli, potential and dissipated energies, and damping factor is a quite new topic and one of the important goals of this study. At RT, the fatigue limit of the SAJs was improved by 55% when the bondline thickness decreased from 0.25 to 0.17 mm and further enhanced by 22% with SiC incorporation. For the first time, the evolution of the potential energy versus fatigue cycles of the SAJs can be modeled for early predicting joint life and hence helps in preventing their sudden failure. At 50 degrees C, the fatigue strength of the SiC-SAJ is approximately equal to the unmodified joint at RT.