Experiments on the combined use of a double-sided pressure-sensitive tape and an epoxy adhesive to reduce handling time

In many industrial assemblies with structural adhesives, the handling time, i.e. the time to safely move adhesively bonded parts, may slow down manufacturing process and result into additional costs. For that reason, in some cases, the traditional mechanical connections (rivets, bolts, welds) are still preferable when the structure must be completed in a short time. In this work a new type of hybrid joint, characterized by the combined use of an epoxy adhesive and a double-sided pressure-sensitive tape, is proposed and characterized by experimental tests on single-lap joints with a large overlap. The results showed that these hybrid joints allow for reducing the handling time of the joint, preserving approximately the same strength. The proposed solution exploits the non-uniform stress distribution in the bondline of a single-lap joint, resulting in a low stress area at the centre of the overlap. The presence of an adhesive tape in this region produced either a negligible or minor drop (~20%) in strength depending on the epoxy used, while provided the joint with sufficient strength for being handled before the full cure of the epoxy.