Qualification of adhesives for marine composite-to-steel applications

This paper describes a logical method for the design and certification of adhesively-bonded composite to steel joints for the marine industry. Normally certification is based on documented service at sea. Since these joints have not been previously deployed at sea, no data on their performance exists. Using an integrated combination of mechanical property evaluation and finite element modeling, the load bearing capacity of a joint can be compared to the anticipated seaway loads. Calculated factors of safety for the sandwich design used here show that the joint has adequate strength to maintain structural integrity even after severe environmental exposure.