The Effects of High Contact Pressures and Temperatures on the Adhesion of Amorphous Polystyrene to Borosilicate (Pyrex) Glass

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Abstract
The effects on adhesive joint strength of four pressure-temperature histories, each over the range of pressures from 1 to 1500 bars and temperatures from 25 to 200°C, has been investigated with polystyrene-Pyrex glass butt joint specimens. The various pressure-temperature histories were designed to show the separate effects of permanent stresses, transient stresses and interfacial contact on joint strength. This strength increased as the number of stress concentration loci were reduced through application of high contact pressures on the melt. However, isobaric solidification of the polymer led to a maximum in fracture stress as a function of applied molding pressure because of the existence of a critical pressure at which permanent thermal stresses were minimized. A series of isothermal compression-decompression molding operations showed fracture stress to increase with interfacial contact area until maximum contact was achieved. A 100 per cent gain in bond strength was realized when interfacial contact was maximized concurrent with minimizing both the permanent and transient stresses which normally develop when the adhesive joint is formed. Microscopic observations of interfaces in both non-fractured and fractured butt joints established a qualitative relationship between debonding, the mechanism of fracture, and joint strength.