The potential for adhesive bonding as a substitute for welding (or bolting) of steel structures is very large. In the short term, bonding
Fig. 8.9. Compound bonded aluminium 1-beam comprising 15 individual extrusions (courtesy British Alcan Aluminium). |
techniques may prove to be particularly useful when an existing structure requires to be either stiffened or strengthened. Some advantages include:
(1) an improved fatigue detail
(2) lack of distortion from, say, the heat of welding
(3) no loss of metal section, which is inevitable with bolting.
A resulting improved fatigue detail arises through the avoidance of residual stresses, which can dominate the fatigue life of relatively thick section assemblies. In thinner section structures the consequence of these stresses is visible distortion, often requiring expensive finishing operations.