Instrumented indentation testing of an epoxy adhesive used in automobile body assembling

Instrumented indentation has been used to investigate the mechanical properties of BETAMATE 1496 (R) Epoxy adhesive. The properties of the adhesive were analyzed by measuring its hardness and its Young's modulus in samples extracted from six different positions of the front door of a commercial passenger vehicle in two phases of processing: after application of the adhesive in the door assembling (pre-cured state) and after final cure in the painting oven (cured state). Special attention was given to setting the optimal parameters (creep time and unloading time step) for the instrumented indentation testing for the present application. Young's modulus values around 1.1 +/- 0.2 GPa and hardness values around 0.15 +/- 0.05 GPa were obtained for all samples, irrespective of the variation of the indentation parameters in the testing procedure and of the relative position of the adhesive in the door frame in both states. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.