Some considerations on the adhesively-bonded joints under environmental conditions

This paper introduces a different aspect of work on adhesive joints under environmental conditions; it is claimed that the load transfer capacity of adhesive joints could increase under environmental effects such as temperature increase and humidity, opposite to widespread beliefs. This idea is based on previous experimental works showing a very ductile adhesive could take advantages of a traditional structural epoxy adhesive in some joint configurations and loading modes, where very high strain concentrations are encountered. Such investigations will help understand the importance of the knowledge of mechanical behavior of the adhesives to be used, and encourage the use of adhesive joints.