Epoxy Over Aluminum

Epoxy Over Aluminum

Fiberglass is made by combining epoxy with glass fibers, and carbon fiber composite is made by combining epoxy with carbon fiber. Epoxy by itself is stiff, but not terribly strong. Glass fiber and carbon fiber are flexible and strong, but not stiff. The combination of the two gives a material that is very stiff for its weight.

So, what happens if you use the same approach to combine epoxy with aluminum? Thin sheets of aluminum, like glass and carbon fiber, are very strong but flexible. Could you apply epoxy to aluminum to create something that gives you a high stiffness to weight ratio? I see references that suggest that it gets used in boating, but I can't find anything specific to discussing this.

Unless you can provide me with better information, I'm tempted to experiment with this over the weekend--take a thin sheet of aluminum, epoxy it, and then see how it compares to an uncoated sheet of aluminum for stiffness and weight.

Yes, I'm trying to find a way to get Big Bertha 2.0's weight down a bit more.

UPDATE: Several people have informed me that in fact, carbon and glass fiber are very strong and stiff by themselves--and the epoxy is the weak part of the composite. They also tell me that because of the aluminum oxide layer on aluminum, getting a decent durable bond with epoxy is quite difficult--as at least one experimental aircraft builder discovered the hard way.