Durability of Adhesive Bonds to Zinc-Coated Steels: Effects of Corrosive Environments on Lap Shear Strength

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Abstract
The effects of corrosive environments on adhesive bonds to electro-galvanized, zinc/aluminum alloy coated, coated electro-galvanized, and cold-rolled steels have been investigated. Bonds prepared using a rubber-modified dicyandiamide-cured epoxy adhesive, an epoxy-modified poly(vinyl chloride)-based adhesive, an acrylic-modified poly(vinyl chloride)-based adhesive a one-part urethane adhesive, and a two-component epoxy-modified acrylic adhesive were exposed under no-load conditions to constant high humidity or cyclic corrosion exposure for 50 days or 50 cycles (10 weeks) respectively. Over the course of this study, exposure to constant high humidity had little effect on lap shear strength for any of the systems studied. Bond failures were initially cohesive, and with few exceptions remained so. Bond strength retention under the cyclic corrosion exposure conditions employed was strongly dependent on adhesive composition and on substrate type. On galvanized substrates, lap shear strengths for the poly(vinyl chloride)-based adhesives were reduced by 90–100% during the course of the corrosion exposure, and a change in the mode of bond failure (from cohesive to interfacial) was observed. On the coated electro-galvanized steel substrate, the poly(vinyl chloride)-based adhesives showed about 50% retention in lap shear strength and a cohesive failure throughout most of the corrosion test. The dicyandiamide-cured epoxy adhesive used in this study generally showed the best lap shear strength retention to zinc-coated substrates; bonds to cold-rolled steel were severely degraded by corrosion exposure. The performance of the acrylic and urethane adhesives were intermediate to the dicyandiamide-cured epoxy and poly(vinyl chloride)-based adhesives in strength retention.