Adhesive test - Test on bonded joints

The tests on adhesives and bonded joints are designed to:

1. Get the characteristics and mechanical properties of the adhesive.

2. Identify defects in bonded joints.

3. Perform comparative testing of different adhesives.

4. Simulate the conditions of ageing of the adhesive bonding during its lifetime, in order to predict their behavior.

5. Check the conditions of application as well as adhesive products and substrates.

There are 3 types or classes of tests that can be performed in adhesives and bonded joints:

1. Destructive test

2. Non-destructive test

3. Ageing tests.

The destructive tests are those tests performed on specimens standardized by standards, which are broken or destroyed by the use of machinery or tools for this use. Nowadays there are different rules that specify the conditions, tools, media and destructive type of test to perform, such as destructive testing defined in DIN EN 1465, which specifies the process for obtaining the tensile shear strength of a union adhesive overlap.

Non-destructive tests are those that use some process or technology of adhesive joints in order to verify the absence or presence of defects that affect the durability and functionality of the bonded joint without changing the chemical composition and geometry of the joint. There are various techniques for nondestructive testing such as ultrasound, acoustic testing, X-rays, etc ... the choice of non-destructive testing to define the defects you would like to check, as well as the complexity of inspection to be performed.

Ageing tests will consist on the exposure of the adhesive or the bonded joint to accelerated conditions of temperature, moisture, chemical attack, mechanical or physical effect, so that later we will analyze the behavior of the adhesive or joint after apply destructive test or non-destructive test.