Environmental Attack on Adhesive Joints. Part II: Locus of Failure.

Abstract

The environmental failure of double-torsion(DT) mild steel adhesive joints was investigated with particular emphasis on the behaviour of the metal oxide/adhesive interface. The joints had previously been subjected to static loading in moist conditions using specifically built apparatus. Modern surface-sensitive analytical techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), were employed to examine the resulting failure surfaces and to assess the effect of the environment.