Fatigue Characterisation of Adhesives Used in Fibre-Reinforced Composites

Abstract

A review of past investigations into the fatigue behaviour of structural adhesives and bonded joints in fibre-reinforced polymer composites is given. An overview of the structural adhesives used in general bonded joint applications is first provided, followed by an experimental fatigue testing of these bonded components. The aspects that influence fatigue strength and fatigue life for adhesively bonded joints in fibre-reinforced polymer composites are then discussed in terms of the adhesive composition, geometry configuration, surface condition and preparation, and loading conditions. The aspects that relate to fatigue crack initiation and crack propagation in these bonded composite components are discussed in terms of damage modelling, monitoring, and detecting of crack initiation, crack growth rates and crack propagation modelling. The impact of environmental factors such as temperature and humidity on the fatigue performance of these bonded composite joints is also discussed. The paper then concludes by providing guidelines for characterising the fatigue behaviour of adhesively bonded joints and adhesives used in fibre-reinforced polymer composite applications.