Fatigue life improvement of adhesively bonded joints

A method of manufacturing an adhesively bonded structure including first and second components including first and second outer surfaces, respectively, at least the first component being a first metal component, the first and second outer surfaces facing one another and partially overlapping, and the adhesively bonded structure including an adhesive layer received between overlapping portions of the first and second outer surfaces, the method comprising:

• (a) deforming the first outer surface of the first metal component along a first isolated path;
• (b) adhesively bonding the overlapping portions of the first and second outer surfaces to form the adhesive layer such that the adhesive layer includes a first edge laterally facing a non-overlapping portion of the first outer surface and the adhesive layer includes a second edge laterally facing a non-overlapping portion of the second outer surface, wherein the adhesive layer is formed from an adhesive selected from the group consisting of an epoxy adhesive, a polyurethane adhesive, and an acrylic adhesive;
• and
• (c) wherein the first isolated path extends beside the first edge of the adhesive layer along at least a majority of a length of the first edge of the adhesive layer and wherein the deforming of the first outer surface of the first metal component increases a fatigue life of the adhesive layer.