Hybrid joining techniques

There are three major families of joining techniques used for joining components, and parts, in all industrial applications: mechanical fastening, thermal fastening and adhesive bonding. Mechanical and thermal fastening, in all its diversity, allows for almost immediate load strength, it often results in joints that exhibit some limited stiffness, but may not be adapted for a large variety of industry relevant fibrous materials. Adhesive bonding, on the other hand, usually yields in stiffer, and commonly, stronger joints. Hybrid joining, i.e. the combination of both aforementioned methods, seeks at getting the best of two worlds, with the supplemental benefit of-often only physiologically felt-added safety through redundancy. The following chapters illustrates some examples of hybrid joining in industrial settings, with each examples highlighting specifics aspects.