ABSTRACT
The nature and character of the surface of an adherend is very important in establishing the strength and permanence of the adhesion of an adhesive to that surface. The critical need for proper aluminum surface pretreatment for bonding in aerospace has been widely established by investigations conducted in that industry. Representative investigations at Boeing to demonstrate the critical importance of the nature of the aluminum oxide on joint durability are those publications by Benoliel (459) and Smith (460-462). Recently, Clearfield (463) reviewed various oxide conditions used most effectively for durable bonding in the 1990 Engineered Materials Handbook of ASM. As additional background on how surface oxides on aluminum can be studied, the author suggests a 1970 publication on Characterization of Solid Surfaces edited by Kane and Larabee (464), 1980s chapters by Buckley (465), Davis and Venables (466), and Danforth (467) and a recent 1990 chapter on "Surface Analysis Techniques and Applications" in ASM Engineered Materials Handbook by Davis (468). For background reading on the beginning of the aluminum industry in the United States, the reader may find an early book by Alcoa pioneers Edwards et al. (469) very interesting.
