Screening of Structural Adhesives for Application to Steel Bridges

摘要

In the past research projects have investigated the feasibility and developed the technology of using adhesives to replace welding, bolting and riveting in metal-to-metal connections. The parameters that were examined included types of adherend, adhesive, surface preparation and loading. The effects of the environment on the mechanical properties of bulk specimens and bonded specimens were limited to changes in temperature. Although the detrimental effects of water were recognized, few studies attempted to quantify its effect and no study let the water content in the bulk adhesive equilibrate with the relative humidity of the ambient environment. This is addressed in the report. The results of pilot tests of polymetric materials and screening tests of adhesives are presented. The report also explores the equations that would be needed to analyze the behavior of adhesives using concepts of thermodynamics of elasticity.