Torsional fatigue behavior of adhesively bonded aluminum-aluminum tubes with NDT assessment

The only effective method of joining metal tubes to composite shafts is by bonding them adhesively. Such structures are subjected to various loadings, mostly torsional cyclic loadings. Failure of these structures depends on the applied loads, the number of loadings, tube geometry and on thickness of adhesive.; The extended usage of steel/composite structures mentioned above is frequently encountered. Field inspections in industrial use are intended to provide information on the soundness of these structures and are to identify the amount of accumulated damage that is deemed acceptable. The evaluation of these structures without doing destructive testing to them is of immense value. NDT (nondestructive testing) to evaluate the damage to the structures is superior to other tests because it leads to comprehension about residual life of the structures and leads to more effective utilization of materials. A comprehensive effort was made to study the fatigue of adhesively bonded tubular joints and to assess the damage done by the fatigue with NDT techniques.