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Plexiglass delaminating from fiberglass

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Norman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2003
Messages
3,465
Location
Grand Junction, Colorado
We're laying up the canopy for the U-2 and just got the outer layer of the FRP surround with the acrylic bubble off the plug Friday. When we turned it upside down we saw that the carbon fiber surround has already delaminated from the plexiglass in several spots. The plexiglass was clean and we scuff sanded the contact area to give the epoxy a good bite. The aft end of the bubble will be cut off so the CF doesn't go all the way around and the ends started pealing immediately. I know that pealing is the weakest failure mode for adhesives but didn't expect it from just the force of getting it off the plug. We are using EZ-Poxy. Currently our plan is to try to reattach the pealed spots with cyanoacrilate and lay up the inner skin of the surrounding structure and put some bolts through the joint to prevent further pealing. Anybody got a better idea? Does epoxy just not adhere strongly to acrylic or did we just screw up buy not doing enough homework?

Thanks in advance.
 
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