THE HYBRID PRESS-FITTED ADHESIVE BONDED JOINT: THEORETICAL ASPECTS AND A PRACTICAL APPLICATION ON THE AUTOMOTIVE WHEEL

Nowadays, adhesive bonding is increasingly exploited in industrial applications, especially in multi-material lightweight structures, for its ability to join dissimilar materials together. In order to overcome the limits related to the durability of adhesives exposed to harsh environmental conditions, adhesive bonding can be used in combination with other joining techniques. This chapter examines the hybrid interference fitted-adhesive bonded joint and some design aspects for its practical application in a case study: the automotive steel wheel. An experimental evaluation of the contributions of the adhesive and the interference-fit to the resultant resistance of the hybrid joint was carried out with particular attention to the phenomena occuring at the interface level and the effect of the adhesive nature, its curing technology and its mechanical response. The outcomes of the laboratory analyses were validated in the steel wheel system. It was found that the adhesive contribution mainly affected the static resistance of the hybrid joint, and it was strongly related to the type of adhesive exploited. On the other hand, the interference-fit seemed to play an important role in governing the fatigue behaviour, especially in the wheel system.