Effect of surface morphology on the Ti–Ti adhesive bond performance of Ti6Al4V parts fabricated by selective laser melting

Surface morphology of adherends is an important factor to take into consideration when studying and improving the performance of an adhesive bonded joint. In this study, the adhesion performance three different surface morphologies of Selective Laser Melted (SLM) Ti6Al4V was studied. The three surface morphologies were created by manufacturing the adherends with different build directions (0, 45 and 90°). Scanning electron microscopy and laser confocal microscopy were used to assess the obtained morphology and roughness of the printed surface areas to be bonded. Those surfaces were subjected to 40 min of UV/Ozone treatment to remove organic contamination traces on the surface which lead to a reduced apparent contact angle and improved adhesive strength. The samples printed at 45°, which showed the highest surface roughness, presented the best adhesive performance during the tensile tests. The addition of sol-gel AC-120 and corrosion inhibition water-based primer BR 6747-1 showed an effective improvement in aging behaviour after 6 weeks of salt spray exposure.