On the performance of welded, riveted and adhesive bonded Al/Mg sheet metal joints

Aluminum (Al) and Magnesium (Mg) alloys are nowadays widely employed in order to produce lightweight automotive and aeronautical components and to gain fuel saving and reduced emissions. However, the joining of Al and Mg alloys poses well known technical problems and the application of conventional joining techniques, e.g. welding, may be ineffective. On the other hand, adhesive bonding may be considered as a candidate replacement of the traditional techniques and for this reason it has been recently proposed as an alternative technology for Al/Mg joints. In particular, it has been demonstrated that adhesive bonding, in conjunction with state-of-the-art surface treatments, can provide Al/Mg joint with enhanced strength. However, in order to evaluate the potential of adhesive bonding to outperform the conventional joining techniques a systematic comparative analysis is needed. Therefore, the aim of this work is to supplement the existing studies on Al/Mg bonding providing a comparative analysis between Al/Mg joints prepared using gas metal arc (MIG) welding, riveting and adhesive bonding. Probably, the use of adhesive bonding as complementary joining process will be the industrial answer to the hybrid joints performance needs. © (2011) Trans Tech Publications.