Manufacture and testing

Abstract Nowadays, structural adhesives are widely used in advanced structures. These adhesives exhibit several advantages such as the possibility to bond dissimilar adherends, high fatigue resistance and high corrosion resistance. Adhesive bonding provides a smoother stress distribution than what can be achieved with other traditional methods of fastening (such as bolts or rivets) and offers the potential for reduced weight and cost. However, the use of adhesives (which are mostly polymeric in nature) shows some limitations under peel or cleavage loads, extreme environmental conditions and can pose difficulties in process control. This chapter provides essential information on the adhesive bonding techniques. It is arranged in five main sections: structural adhesives, joint design, surface treatments, manufacture and quality control.