Susceptor-assisted induction curing behaviour of a two component epoxy paste adhesive for aerospace applications

The mechanical performance was evaluated through Single Lap-Shear (SLS) testing at different volume-percentages of Iron particles in combination with glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) adherends. Induction-cured SLS samples were compared with conventional oven-cured SLS samples. In the oven cured samples, the addition of Iron particles resulted in a decrease in the lap-shear strength of 15% to 20%, even for a volume-percentage as low as 0.5%. An additional increase in particle content up to 7.5 v% did not show any additional reduction in the lap-shear strength. Furthermore, results show that when curing the adhesive layer from the inside, as in the susceptor-assisted induction heating, the lap-shear strength is 6% higher than in oven-cured samples (curing the adhesive layer from the outside).