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Concern over fuel consumption has lead to interest in lightweight structures for transportation vehicles. This book examines technologies available for the structural connections of these structures: welding, mechanical riveting and adhesive technologies.

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Increasing concern with fuel consumption leads to widespread interest in lightweight structures for transportation vehicles. Several competing technologies are available for the structural connections of these structures, namely welding, mechanical fastening / riveting, and adhesive technologies. Arranged in a single volume, this work is to presents state-of-the-art discussions of those aspects and processes presenting greater novelty whilst simultaneously keeping wide applicability potential and interest. The topics chosen have the common feature of being of currently applied in lightweight structures, and one of the characteristics of this work is bringing together relevant state-of-the-art information usually presented in separate publications specializing in a single technology. The book provides discussions and examples of concrete applications, so that it appeals to researchers and designers and engineers involved in the design and fabrication of lightweight structures.

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Lucas F. M. da Silva is currently Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. He received a PhD related to adhesive bonding in 2004 from the University of Bristol under the supervision of Prof RD Adams. Since then, he has been teaching and investigating structural adhesive joints. The work covers a wide range of engineering structural adhesives such as epoxies, acrylics and bismaleimides. Several test methods for adhesive joints are available at the FEUP including various joint configurations such as bulk specimens, lap shear joints and butt joints. In addition to the experimental expertise, detailed analytical models and finite element analysis of stresses and strains within the joints are also undertaken.
In 2005 he joined the editorial board of the "International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives".

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