Geometrically non-linear analysis of adhesively bonded corner joints

When adhesively bonded joints are subjected to large displacements, the small strain-small displacement (linear elasticity) theory may not predict the adhesive or adherend stresses and deformations accurately. In this study, a geometricaly non-linear analysis of three adhesively bonded corner joints was carried out using the incremental finite element method based on the small strain-large displacement (SSLD) theory. The first one, a corner joint with a single support, consisted of a vertical plate and a horizontal plate whose left end was bent at right angles and bonded to the vertical plate. The second corner joint, with a double support, had two plates whose ends were bent at right angles and bonded to each other. The final corner joint, with a single support plus angled reinforcement, was a modification of the first corner joint. The analysis method assumes that the joint members, such as the support, plates, and adhesive layers, have linear elastic properties. Since the adhesive accumulations (spew fillets) around the adhesive free ends have a considerable effect on the peak adhesive stresses, they were taken into account. The joints were analyzed for two different loading conditions: one loading normal to the horizontal plate plane P_y and the other horizontal loading at the horizontal plate free edge P_x. In addition, three corner joints were analyzed using the finite clement method based on the small strain-small displacement (SSSD) theory. In predicting the effect of the large displacements on the stress and deformation states of the joint members, the capabilities of both analyses were compared. Both analyses showed that the adhesive free ends and the outer fibres of the horizontal and vertical plates were subjected to stress concentrations. The peak stresses appeared at the slot corners inside the adhesive fillets and at the horizontal and vertical plate outer fibres corresponding to the locations where the horizontal and vertical adhesive fillets finished. The SSLD analysis predicted that the displacement components and the peak adhesive and plate stress components would show a non-linear variation for the loading condition P_x, whereas the SSSD analysis showed smaller stress variations proportional to the applied load. However, both the SSLD and the SSSD analyses predicted similar displacement and stress variations for the loading condition P_y. Therefore, the stress and deformation states of the joint members are dependent on the loading conditions, and in the case of large displacements, the SSSD analysis can be misleading in predicting the stresses and deformations. The SSLD analysis also showed that the vertical and horizontal support lengths and the angled reinforcement length played an important role in reducing the peak adhesive and plate stresses.