The research study focused on the quality of the epoxy adhesive bond between wood and steel. We studied the influence of surface preparation of steel on shear strength. The steel surfaces were prepared in 4 different ways: untreated, roughly brushed, polished and guttered polished. Two-component epoxy adhesive Xepox 40 was used. Wooden lamellas were made from spruce wood. When the wooden and steel lamellas were glued and the adhesive was cured, we exposed them to two different conditions (standard climate and soaking in water for 24 hours). We performed our next test according to the SIST EN 205:2003 standard. After the test, we estimated the wood failure percentage. As expected, the shear strength was affected by the preliminary surface preparation of steel. Out of the test specimens that were exposed to the standard climate, the best results were achieved by the one with polished steel surface, while after 24 hours of soaking in water, the highest shear strength was achieved by the test specimens with untreated steel surface. In general, the shear strength of test specimens that were exposed to water was significantly lower than the air-conditioned specimens. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the two-component epoxy adhesive Xepox 40 is suitable for gluing wood and steel for use in dry conditions.
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