Fatigue performance of adhesively bonded connections in GRE pipes

An experimental study was undertaken to investigate the fatigue performance of adhesively bonded 100 mm diameter composite pipe joints subjected to external mechanical loading. Both axial and bending fatigue loads were examined as was the influence that large axisymmetric defects had upon fatigue life. The results demonstrated that pure axial fatigue loading is more detrimental to fatigue life than cyclic loading due to internal pressure, and that aging of an adhesive in an ambient environment can be beneficial to long term fatigue performance.