Under ideal conditions load bearing structures would be designed without joints, thus eliminating a source of added weight, complexity and weakness. In reality the need for accessibility, repair, and inspectability, added to the size limitations imposed by the manufacturing process and transportation/assembly requirements mean that some minimum number of joints will be required in most structures. The designer generally has two methods for joining fiber composite materials, adhesive bonding and

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... mechanical fastening. As the use of thermoplastic materials increases, a third joining technique -w tiding -will become more common. It is the purpose of this document to provide a review of the available sources pertinent to the design of joints in fiber composites. The primary emphasis is given to adhesive bonding and mechanical fastening v_ith information coming from documentary sources as old as 1961 and as recent as 1989, A third, shorter section on composite welding is included in order to provide a relatively comprehensive treatment of the subject.