A Study on the Strength Evaluation and Defect Detection Capability of Adhesive Joint with CNTs

Abstract

Mechanical joint and adhesive joint are two typical joining methods for structures. The adhesive joints distribute the load over a larger area than mechanical joints and have excellent fatigue properties. However, the strength of adhesive joint greatly depends on the environmental conditions and the skill of the operator. Therefore, there is a need for techniques to evaluate the quality of the adhesive joints. The electric resistance method is a very promising technique for detecting defects by measuring the electrical resistance of an adhesive joint in which CNTs are dispersed in an adhesive. In this study, Aluminium-Aluminium adhesive single lap joint specimens were fabricated by using the adhesive dispersing CNTs using a sonicator and a 3-roll mill, and the static strengths and defect detection capabilities of the joints using the electrical resistance method were evaluated according to the CNTs content.