Finite element analysis of adhesive joints in four-point bending load

Nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) was applied to the adhesively bonded Single Lap Joint (SLJ) in bending load. Two adhesives, one stiff and one flexible, with very different mechanical behaviors, and hard steel as adherend with four different thicknesses, were analyzed for the joint configuration. For comparison, experimental work was also undertaken. It was shown that adherend thickness played an important part in the joint performance; while the stiff adhesive gave stronger joint strength when using thick adherends, the opposite was the case for the flexible adhesive when using thin adherends. These results were related to the mechanical behaviors of the adhesives used. It was shown that the results from the FEA and the experimental works were in a good agreement.     

The effects of overlap length and adherend thickness on the strength of adhesively bonded joints subjected to bending moment

In this work, elasto-plastic stress analysis of a Single Lap Joint (SLJ) subjected to bending moment was investigated using 2D non-linear Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The SLJs, consisting of hardened steel as the adherend bonded by two adhesives, one stiff and one flexible, with very different mechanical behaviors were analyzed. In order to determine the effect of geometrical parameters on the performance of the SLJs, four different adherend thicknesses and overlap lengths for each adhesive were used. For verification of the analysis, the FEA results were compared with experimental results. It was observed that there was a significant effect of adherend thickness on the strength of the joint with both adhesives. However, the load carried by the SLJ with the flexible adhesive increased with increasing overlap length.     

A two-dimensional stress analysis and strength evaluation of band adhesive butt joints subjected to tensile loads

The stresses in band adhesive butt joints, in which two adherends are bonded partially at the interfaces, are analyzed, using a two-dimensional theory of elasticity, in order to demonstrate the usefulness of the joints. In the analysis, similar adherends and adhesive bonds, which are bonded at two or three regions, are, respectively, replaced by finite strips. In the numerical calculations, the effects of the ratio of Young's moduli for adherends to that for adhesives, the adhesive thickness, the bonding area and position, and the load distribution are shown on the stress distributions at interfaces. It is seen that band adhesive joints are useful when the bonding area and positions are changed with external load distributions. Photoelastic experiments and the measurement of the adherend strains were carried out. The analytical results are in a fairly good agreement with the experimental results. In addition, a method for estimating the joint strength is proposed by using the interface stress distribution obtained by the analysis. Experiments concerning joint strength were performed and fairly good agreement is found between the estimated values and the experimental results.     

Increasing strength of single lap joints of metal adherends by taper minimization

The effect of tapering the ends of the adherend on the joint strength and joint deformation behavior of a single lap joint geometry was studied. The joints were geometrically modeled using finite element (FE) techniques involving linear, as well as nonlinear (bilinear) material behavior. The FEA results were then compared with the experimental results for different single lap configurations, which had aluminum and steel adherends with different surface etch conditions, bonded using two different adhesives. The FEA results were found to be consistent with the experimental results with the normal and shear stresses significantly decreasing in the modified (tapered) geometries over those in unmodified geometries. The joint strength increased with decreasing taper angle, reaching a maximum at the smallest value considered (~10°).     

A Two-dimensional Stress Analysis and Strength of Single-lap Adhesive Joints of Dissimilar Adherends Subjected to External Bending Moments

The stress distributions of single-lap adhesive joints of dissimilar adherends subjected to external bending moments are analyzed as a three-body contact problem by using a two-dimensional theory of elasticity (plane strain). In the analysis, dissimilar adherends and an adhesive are replaced by finite strips. In the numerical calculations, the effects of the ratio of Young's moduli of adherends, the adherend thickness ratio and the adherend length ratio between dissimilar adherends on the stress distributions at the interfaces are examined. The results show that the stress singularity occurs at the ends of the interfaces, and its intensity is greater at the interface of the adherend with smaller Young's modulus. It is also noted that the singular stress is greater at the interface of the thinner adherend. It is found that the effect of the adherend length ratio on the stress singularity at the interfaces is very small. Joint strength is predicted by using the interface stress and it was measured by experiments. From the analysis and the experiments, it is found that the joint strength increases as Young's modulus of adherends and the adherend thickness increase while the effect of the adherend lengths on the joint strength is small. For verification of the analysis, a finite element analysis (FEA) is carried out. A fairly good agreement of the interface stress distribution is seen between the analytical and the FEA results.     

Optimization of adhesively-bonded single lap joints by adherend notching

The effect of adherend notching on the strength and deformation behavior of single lap joints was investigated. First, a parametric study was conducted using finite element analysis (FEA). This initial part of the research into the effect of notches on joint behavior involved determination of the optimum notch location and notch dimensions. This was done by using FEA in a series of models with different notch positions and geometries. The results of this parametric study were used to select the most promising lap geometries for further study. Next, more detailed FEA were conducted on the selected lap geometries. These data were compared with the experimental single-lap shear test results to assess the applicability of different failure criteria. Three different model adhesives were used: a rubber toughened film epoxy with nylon carrier, a styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer based deformable 'gel' adhesive, and a two-part, metal filled brittle epoxy adhesive. The FEA for single lap joints containing 'top notches' on the unbonded, top side of the adherends, at locations corresponding to the overlap ends, and bonded with the two-part metal filled epoxy provided the best agreement with the experimental results. The experimental results showed a 29% increase in joint strength with the introduction of the notches, which matched very well with the 27% decrease in the peak peel stress observed by the FEA results. For this brittle adhesive, the peel stress is almost certainly the governing failure stress. This was confirmed by matching of the FEA peak peel stress ratios with the experimental load ratios, for both the notched and unnotched specimens.     

Dynamic strength of single lap joints with similar and dissimilar adherends

The increased use of adhesives for joining structural parts demands a thorough understanding of their load carrying capacity. The strength of the adhesive joints depends on several factors such as the joint geometry, adhesive type, adherend properties and also on the loading conditions. Particularly polymer based adhesives exhibit sensitivity to loading rate and therefore it is important to understand their behavior under impact like situations. The effect of similar versus dissimilar adherends on the dynamic strength of adhesive lap joints is addressed in this study. The dynamic strength is evaluated using the split-cylinder lap joint geometry in a split Hopkinson pressure bar setup. The commercial adhesive Araldite 2014 is used for preparing the joints. The adherend materials considered included steel and aluminum. The results of the study indicated that the dynamic strength of the lap joint is influenced by the adherend material and also by the adherent combination. Even in the case of joints with similar adherends, the strength was affected by the adherend type. The strength of steel–steel joints was higher than that for aluminum–aluminum joints. In the case of dissimilar adherends, the strength was lower than that of the case of similar adherends. The results of this study indicate that the combination of adherend material should also be accounted for while designing lap joints.     

Use of the thick adherend shear test for shear stress-strain measurements of stiff and flexible adhesives

Five commercial structural adhesives were tested using the thick adherend shear test (TAST). These adhesives have mechanical properties ranging from those of high-strength, heat-cured epoxies to ductile, acrylic-based materials. Consideration was given to the adherend selection and dimensions to approach a uniform shear stress-strain in the bonded area, so that the test could be used with both stiff and flexible adhesives. Comparison of the TAST results was also made with those obtained using the butt torsion test. The TAST extensometry has been shown to be suitable for measuring the shear strain properties of the adhesives tested without modification. From the shear behavior of the five adhesives measured using the TAST method, and from the results presented in this paper, it can be seen that the TAST method is repeatable and reproducible for a wide range of adhesive types and adhesive properties. From these results, it is possible to generate comprehensive adhesive shear data. Also, the curves from the butt torsion test and the TAST were found to be consistent and give the same behavior of the adhesives tested.     

USE OF THE THICK ADHEREND SHEAR TEST FOR SHEAR STRESS-STRAIN MEASUREMENTS OF STIFF AND FLEXIBLE ADHESIVES

Five commercial structural adhesives were tested using the thick adherend shear test (TAST). These adhesives have mechanical properties ranging from those of high-strength, heat-cured epoxies to ductile, acrylic-based materials. Consideration was given to the adherend selection and dimensions to approach a uniform shear stress-strain in the bonded area, so that the test could be used with both stiff and flexible adhesives. Comparison of the TAST results was also made with those obtained using the butt torsion test. The TAST extensometry has been shown to be suitable for measuring the shear strain properties of the adhesives tested without modification. From the shear behavior of the five adhesives measured using the TAST method, and from the results presented in this paper, it can be seen that the TAST method is repeatable and reproducible for a wide range of adhesive types and adhesive properties. From these results, it is possible to generate comprehensive adhesive shear data. Also, the curves from the butt torsion test and the TAST were found to be consistent and give the same behavior of the adhesives tested.     

Application of bi-adhesive in double-strap joints subjected to bending moment

Generally, all failures in adhesively-bonded joints begin at the overlap ends because of the stress concentration occurring at the ends. The approach which reduces stress concentration at the overlap ends increases the load capacity and delays the failure. The lower the stiffness of the adhesive used, the lower the stress concentration, and the lower stress concentration gives rise to higher joint strength. In this work, the results of the application of two adhesives, one stiff and one flexible, with very different mechanical behaviors along the overlap length in double strap joints subjected to bending moment, were analyzed. A stiff adhesive was applied in the middle portion of overlap, while a flexible adhesive was applied towards the edges. The results show that the bi-adhesively-bonded joints carry more loads and have higher strength when compared with single-adhesively-bonded joints.     

The Effect of Moment and Flexural Rigidity of Adherend on the Strength of Adhesively Bonded Single Lap Joints

In the present study, mechanical properties of different single lap joint configurations derived from adherends with different thicknesses subjected to tensile loading were investigated experimentally and numerically. For this purpose, experimental studies were conducted on two different types of SLJ samples, the first type with identical upper and lower adherend thicknesses and the second with different upper and lower adherend thicknesses. For the first type, five different thickness values were tested. For the second type, the lower adherend thickness was constant while five different upper adherend thickness values were tested. The adhesive was prepared from a two-part paste. After the experimental studies, stress analyses on the SLJs were performed with three-dimensional finite element analysis by considering the geometrical non-linearity and the material non-linearities of the adhesive (DP460) and adherend (AA2024-T3). It was observed that, in single lap joint geometry, variation in the thickness of the adherend and the use of lower and upper adherends with different thickness values changed the stress concentrations at the edges of the overlap regions, affecting the experimental failure load of the joints.     

Modeling of cohesive failure processes in structural adhesive bonded joints

This paper presents an approach to predicting the strength of joints bonded by structural adhesives using a finite element method. The material properties of a commercial structural adhesive and the strength of single-lap joints and scarf joints of aluminum bonded by this adhesive were experimentally measured to provide input for and comparison with the finite element model. Criteria based on maximum strain and stress were used to characterize the cohesive failure within the adhesive and adherend failure observed in this study. In addition to its simplicity, the approach described in this paper is capable of analyzing the entire deformation and failure process of adhesive joints in which different fracture modes may dominate and both adhesive and adherends may undergo inelastic deformation. It was shown that the finite element predictions of the joint strength generally agreed well with the experimental measurements.     

Three-dimensional finite element analysis of single-lap adhesive joints under impact loads

This paper deals with the stress wave propagation and stress distribution in single-lap adhesive joints subjected to impact tensile loads with small strain rate. The stress wave propagations and stress distributions in single-lap joints have been analyzed using an elastic three-dimensional finite-element method (DYNA3D). An impact load was applied to the single-lap adhesive joint by dropping a weight. One end of one of the adherends in the single-lap adhesive joint was fixed and the other adherend to which a bar was connected was impacted by the weight. The effects of Young's modulus of the adherends, the overlap length, the adhesive thickness and the adherend thickness on the stress wave propagations and stress distributions at the interfaces have been examined. It was found that the maximum stress occurred near the edge of the interface and that it increased with an increase of Young's modulus of the adherends. It was also seen that the maximum stress increased as the overlap length, the adhesive thickness and the adherend thickness decreased. In addition, strain response of single-lap adhesive joints subjected to impact tensile loads was measured using strain gauges. Fairly good agreements were observed between the numerical and experimental results.     

Non-linear stress and failure analyses of adhesively-bonded joints subjected to a bending moment

In this paper, the mechanical behavior of the Single-Lap Joints (SLJs) bonded with two different adhesives (FM 73 and SBT 9244) under a bending moment was analyzed, both experimentally and numerically. Four-point bending experiments for the joints with different overlap lengths were carried out and fracture surfaces of the SLJs were examined with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). After the stress analysis in the SLJs was performed via a finite element method by considering the material non-linearities of the adhesives and adherend (AA2024-T3), the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) results were compared with experimental results. Finally, the stress analyses and experimental results show that the failure in the SLJs subjected to a bending moment probably initiates from the overlap region on the adhesive–upper adherend interface in tension and propagates towards the centre of the overlap. Also, in the joint subjected to a bending moment, it is seen that the load carried by the SLJ with SBT 9244 adhesive with increasing overlap length is more than that of the SLJ with FM 73 adhesive, although in the bulk form FM 73 adhesive is about three times stronger than SBT 9244 adhesive.     

A two-dimensional stress analysis of single-lap adhesive joints of dissimilar adherends subjected to tensile loads

Single-lap adhesive joints of dissimilar adherends subjected to tensile loads are analyzed as a three-body contact problem using the two-dimensional theory of elasticity. In the numerical calculations, the effects of Young's modulus ratio between different adherends, the ratio of the adherend thicknesses, the ratio of the adherend lengths, and the adhesive thickness on the contact stress distributions at the interfaces are examined. As a result, it is found that (1) the stress singularity occurs near the edges of the interfaces and it increases at the edge of the interface of an adherend with smaller Young's modulus; (2) the stress singularity increases at the edge of the interface of an adherend with thinner thickness; (3) the singular stresses increase at the edges of the two interfaces as the ratio of the upper adherend length to the lower one decreases; and (4) the singular stresses increase at the edges of the two interfaces as the adhesive thickness decreases when the adhesive is thin enough, and they also increase as the adhesive thickness increases when the adhesive is thick enough. In addition, the singular stresses obtained from the present analysis are compared with those obtained by Bogy. Fairly good agreement is seen between the present analysis and the results from Bogy. Strain measurement and finite element analysis (FEA) were carried out. The analytical results are in fairly good agreement with the measured and the FEA results.     

Three-dimensional finite element stress analysis of single-lap adhesive joints of dissimilar adherends subjected to impact tensile loads

The stress-wave propagations and stress distributions in single-lap joints of dissimilar adherends were analyzed using an elastic three-dimensional finite-element method (DYNA3D). An impact tensile load was applied to the single-lap adhesive joint by dropping a weight. One end of the upper adherend in the single-lap adhesive joint was fixed and the other adherend (lower adherend) which was connected to a bar was impacted by the weight. The effects of Young's modulus and the thickness of each adherend on the stress wave propagations and stress distributions at the interfaces were examined. It was found that the maximum value of the maximum principal stress occurred near the edge of the interface of the fixed adherend. The maximum principal stress increased as Young's modulus of the fixed adherend increased. It was also observed that the maximum principal stress increased as the fixed adherend thickness decreased. In addition, strain responses in the single-lap adhesive joints of dissimilar adherends subjected to impact tensile loads were measured using strain gauges. Fairly good agreements were found between the FEM calculations and the experimental measurements.     

Benchmark tests on adhesive strengths in butt, single and double lap joints and double-cantilever beams

The RC99 committee of the Japan Society for Mechanical Engineers conducted the benchmark tests on strengths of adhesive joints using different testing methods. The effects of joint configuration, loading mode, adherend yield strength and so on, on the strength and data scatter were investigated using two typical epoxy adhesives. The strengths obtained by various tests were compared with each other. The relationships among strengths of butt, single lap and double lap joints and fracture toughness were given. Thirteen member institutes of the committee participated in this project. The benchmark results allow us to recognize that the joint strengths are strongly affected by the curing process. The key to obtaining the appropriate joint strength, is precise temperature control inside the adhesive layer for curing. Toughened adhesives do not always give higher joint strengths than untoughened adhesives. The yield strength of adherends much affects the observed lap joint strength of adhesives.     

Three dimensional finite element analysis of bi-adhesively bonded double lap joint

Hybrid-adhesive joints are an alternative stress reduction technique for adhesively bonded joints. The joints have two types of adhesives in the overlap region. The stiff adhesive should be located in the middle and flexible adhesive at the ends. In this study, the effect of the hybrid-adhesive bondline on the shear and peeling stresses of a double lap joint were investigated using a three-dimensional finite element model. We developed a three dimensional model of the double lap joint based on solid and contact elements. Contact problem is considered to model the interface as two surfaces belonging to adherend and adhesive. Finite element analyses were performed for four different bond-length ratios (0.2,0.4,0.7 and 1.3). The results show that the stress components can be optimized using appropriate bond-length ratios. To validate the finite element analysis results, comparisons were made with available closed-form solutions. The numerical results were found in good agreement with the analytical solutions.     

Single Lap Joints with Rounded Adherend Corners: Experimental Results and Strength Prediction

The objective of the present study was to better understand the effect of the change in the geometry of the adherend corners on the stress distribution in single lap joints and, therefore, on the joint strength. Various degrees of rounding were studied and two different types of adhesives were used: one very brittle and another which had a large plastic deformation. Experimental results on the strength of joints with different degrees of rounding are presented. For joints bonded with brittle adhesives, the effect of the rounded adherend corners is larger than that with ductile adhesives. The strength of joints with brittle adhesives with a large radius adherend corner increases by about 40% compared to that with a sharp adherend corner. It is shown that for joints bonded with brittle adhesives, crack propagation occurs for a short period before it grows into catastrophic failure. However, for ductile adhesives, there is large adhesive yielding and small crack propagation before final failure. Another important feature of joints bonded with ductile adhesives is that there may be more than one crack in the adhesive layer before failure. This makes strength predictions more difficult. The second part of the paper presents an approximate method for predicting the strength of joints bonded with brittle and ductile adhesives, with and without adherend corner rounding. The predictions, based on an average value around the singularity, compare well with the experimental results, especially for joints bonded with ductile adhesives.     

The interrelationships between electronically conductive adhesive formulations,substrate and filler surface properties,and joint performance. Part I: the effects of adhesive thickness

Electronically conductive adhesives (ECAs) have received a great deal of attention for interconnection applications in recent years. Even though ECAs have excellent potential for being efficient and less costly alternative to solder joining in electronic components, they still possess a number of problems with respect to durability and design to meet specific needs. One of the issues that requires understanding is regarding the optimum adhesive thickness (AT) to be used. This study addresses this issue in relation to the formulations of the conductive adhesives and their interactions with adherend surfaces. For this purpose, two different adherends varying in surface characteristics were utilized along with three different conductive adhesive formulations with varying particle loadings, and shapes and sizes of conductive nickel fillers. Joints were also prepared with two different AT values, to gain insight into the influence of AT on the joint strength, deformation and joint conductivity. As the AT was increased, only a small reduction in failure load and ultimate displacement values were observed with unetched adherends. With etched adherends, however, a small increase in joint stretchability was evident with higher adhesive thickness tested at a lower crosshead speed. When the AT was increased, we also noted a corresponding increase in the initial joint resistance.