STRENGTH OF SQUARE-EDGED AND BEVEL-EDGED ADHESIVE JOINTS IMMERSED IN DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS

Polymethyl methacrylate/epoxy/polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA/epoxy/PMMA ) joints with square-edged and bevel-edged adherends were immersed in different reagents including saline water and distilled water. The joi nts were immersed in the reagents with a constant tensile load. The jo ints were also tested in air. Four loading periods were selected for s quare-edged joints and two loading periods for bevel-edged adhesive jo ints. At the end of each loading period, the joints were loaded in a t ensile testing machine until failure. The results of the tests showed that the tensile strength of the PMMA joints was increased after immer sion. Moreover, bevel-edged adhesive joints showed little improvement, thus may not justify the extra cost for machining the bevels on the a dherends.