In this study, the effects of pre-treatment and ageing on the adhesive strength of polymer materials PE, PP and PVC are investigated experimentally. The experiments are carried out under mechanical abrasion, corona discharge and plasma methods at temperatures of -20, 0, 20 °C and ageing for different times for 30, 60, 90 days at 50 °C. The shear stress increased for PVC at -20 °C, using both corona discharge and plasma methods. The shear strength of adhesively bonded joints reduced at an ageing temperature of 50 °C and it continued to gradually reduce during ageing time from 30 to 90 days. The lowest strength was obtained at 50 °C and 90 days' ageing.

Keywords: joint design; polymers; surface treatment; impact; ageing