Application of X-ray tomography for the control of fiber-reinforced bonded joints / [Applicazione della tomografia a raggi X per il controllo di giunti incollati fibrorinforzati]

Today, joining techniques by adhesive bonding play an increasingly important role in various industrial sectors such as aeronautics, aerospace and, last but not least, railways. Among the main advantages that can be achieved are a better stress redistribution, a smaller number of connections, a reduction in overall dimensions and, consequently, the final light weigth structure. On the other hand, adhesive bonding is a special process and to ensure the in service joint performance it is necessary to perform non-destructive testing both in post-production and in service operation of the component, especially if subject to fatigue loading. In the present paper, the authors illustrate the x-ray micro-tomographic technique for the inspection and control of adhesively bonded joints in fibro-reinforced composite materials with overlapping.