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Virginia Tech

Comparing In Situ and Bulk Constitutive Properties of a Structural Adhesive

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

In the continuing quest for more efficient designs, structural adhesives are being used in place of, or with, traditional fastening methods; however designing with adhesives is refined as traditional methods. To obtain the adhesive design properties, tests are often performed on bulk tensile and bonded shear specimens. Questions remain about the relationship between properties obtained from in situ adhesive joints and bulk adhesive specimens. As a result, an experimental plan was developed which characterized both the linear and nonlinear region of bulk and in situ adhesive performance of a two-part acrylic adhesive from Dow Chemical Company. A standard uniaxial tensile test was used for the bulk normal, while an Iosipescu shear test was used to characterize the bulk shear performance. In situ testing was performed on a napkin-ring specimen loaded in both tension and torsion. Stress-strain relationships in both shear and normal were developed and bulk and in situ adhesive performance was compared. Observations from testing were: 1. Bulk shear and in situ shear tests showed similar performance in both the linear and nonlinear regions. 2. Modulus of elasticity in bulk adhesive tests was similar to the effective modulus of elasticity in in situ tests. 3. Prediction of normal yield strengths of the in situ adhesive through simple failure theory models proved to be inaccurate. Stress singularities, loading imperfections, and potentially a hydrostatic sensitivity were considered possible explanations. 4. Adhesive showed sensitivity to voiding and surface flaws when loaded in a tensile configuration, refinement of specimen fabrication minimized these effects.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Mechanical Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Mechanical Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2007

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Grohs, Joshua Walter
Chairs dc:contributor.committeechair
  • West, Robert L. Jr.
  • Dillard, David A.
Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Mitchell, Larry D.

Subjects

dc:subject × 6

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-08072007-004210
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/34403

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Grohs, Joshua Walter. Comparing In Situ and Bulk Constitutive Properties of a Structural Adhesive. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/34403