Goh, K. W. S., Luei, K. H., Siew, T. Y. E., & Tan, K. L. (2026). Debonding adhesive-bonded metal specimens via intense ultrasonic vibration. Cleaner Engineering and Technology, 33, 101260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2026.101260
Abstract:
The widespread use of structural adhesives in multi-material assemblies poses a significant challenge to the circular economy, necessitating efficient disassembly technologies for repair and recycling. This study investigates the feasibility of low-frequency, high-power ultrasonic vibration (
kHz) as a controllable method for debonding epoxy adhesive joints. Single-lap shear specimens were subjected to ultrasonic excitation under varying amplitudes and clamping forces. Experimental results demonstrated that the process efficacy is highly non-linear; while low-energy inputs resulted in minimal strength degradation, high-amplitude conditions (3.6 μm) achieved an 88.0 ± 5.4% reduction in mean bond strength within 60 s across independent replicates, shifting the failure mode from cohesive fracture to clean adhesive separation. To elucidate the underlying physics, a finite element model was developed, adapting the viscoelastic heating formulation of Levy et al. (2014) with explicit temperature-dependent material properties extracted from Mc Hugh (2007). The numerical model, validated against in-situ thermocouple measurements (
C), identified a two-stage heating mechanism: initial interfacial friction followed by self-limiting volumetric viscoelastic dissipation. Crucially, the process demonstrated low thermal efficiency (
7%), confirming that debonding is driven primarily by resonance-based stress concentration rather than bulk thermal conduction. These findings establish ultrasonic debonding as a promising, energy-efficient alternative to thermal reversal for the disassembly of bonded composite structures.
License type:
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR) - Career Development Award
Grant Reference no. : C233312020
This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR) - Manufacturing, Trade, and Connectivity Industry Alignment Fund - Pre-positioning - Award for Battery Remanufacturing for Improved Circular Ecosystems (BRICE)
Grant Reference no. : H24-MMP0514