TWI Industrial Member Report Summary 494/1994
By I J Munns and G A Georgiou
Background
At present, none of the existing non-destructive testing (NDT) methods can reliably assess the integrity of an adhesively bonded joint. In some circumstances these methods are able to detect gross discontinuities, such as disbonds and voids, but cannot reliably detect weaknesses at the bonded interface. Quality control is often restricted to the destructive testing of bonded coupons manufactured specifically for this task. For this reason, many industries and institutions are actively engaged in finding a solution to the adhesive inspection problem in order to exploit the use of adhesively bonded joints to their full potential. This report is intended as an industrial and literature review.
The report describes the nature of the defects which can arise in adhesively bonded joints and goes on to review those existing NDT methods which may be suitable for their detection and measurement. Finally, the current research effort directed at application of the methods to adhesively bonded joint inspection is described.