Review on adhesive joints and their application in hybrid composite structures

Composites have been used extensively in various engineering applications including automotive, aerospace, and building industries. Hybrid composites made from two or more different reinforcements show enhanced mechanical properties required for advanced engineering applications. Several issues in composites were resolved during the last few years through the development of new materials, new methods and models for hybrid joints. Many components in automobile are joined together either by permanent or temporary fastener such as rivets, welding joint and adhesively bonded joints. Increasing use of bonded structures is envisaged for reducing fastener count and riveted joints and there by drastically reducing assembly cost. Adhesive bonding has been applied successfully in many technologies. In this paper, scientific work on adhesively bonded composites and hybrid composites are reviewed and discussed. Several parameters such as surface treatment, joint configuration, material properties, geometric parameters, failure modes, etc. that affect the performance of adhesive bonded joints are discussed. Environmental factors like pre-bond moisture and temperature, method of adhesive application are also cited in detail. A specific case of adhesive joints in hybrid bonded-bolted joints is elaborated. As new applications are expanding in the field of composites joining and adhesive joints, it is imperative to use information on multiple adhesives and their behaviour in different environmental conditions to develop improved adhesive joint structure in mechanical applications.