Rheological approach to the adhesion property of metal‐plated acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene to secure the driver's safety.

Electroplating on acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) is a widely used decorative technique for achieving low cost and light weight. However, the lack of adhesion strength can be a threat to the passenger's safety in an emergency situation. Herein the morphology formation of injection molded ABS and the resultant adhesion behavior was investigated from the perspective of rheological analysis. The polybutadiene (PBD) rubbers and styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile (SAN) generated a strong internal structure, which became more strengthened at the low shear level of 0.1 rad/s. As shear rate increased, the deformation of PBD was dominant over the shear level of 10 rad/s. Injection molded specimen and door handle showed extremely oriented ellipsoidal morphology at the gate and squashed structure at the parting line. The etched surface morphology directly influenced the physically interlocked structure, and the deformed surface exhibited negative effect on the adhesion property. 8.11 N/cm of peel‐off strength of electroplated ABS at the injection rate of 10 mm/s decreased to 4.27 N/cm at the injection rate of 50 mm/s. The decrease in peel‐off strength was more noticeable at near gate than center region of the specimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]