Static failure analysis of adhesive corner joints

Abstract The present study is concerned with the failure analysis of a special type of adhesive corner joint, which is essentially a rectangular cantilever bonded to a support. A shape factor that allows correlating the static strength of two joints with different geometries is proposed. The relation is valid for adhesives with brittle–elastic behaviour and highly resistant adherends. Therefore, only a few tests performed in particular joint taken as reference are necessary for assessing the structural integrity of any similar joint with arbitrary geometry. Results from experiments performed in ASTM 1020 steel tee joints with different bonding areas are compared with model prediction showing a good agreement. The adhesive was an epoxy/ceramic composite used in the oil industry for the repair and protection of metal surfaces subjected to corrosion and chemical attach.