Proposal for a torsion shear fixture for bonded joints

The aim of the present work is to design a simple torsion fixture for bonde d joints that is adaptable to conventional testing machines and at the same time gives reliable results. This is achieved by transforming a traction o r compression movement of a conventional machine to a torsion one on the bo nded joints. In the present study, a full description of the mechanism of t ransferring a compression/traction movement to a pure torsion is explained, and the validation approach is outlined. Finally, experiments on bonded jo ints are performed and compared to step lap shear test. The results showed that the proposed torsion apparatus is very promising in measuring the stre ngth of bonded joints. (C) 1999 Kluwer Academic Publishers.