Finite Element Analysis of Adhesive-Bonded Single-Lap Joints

Finite element analyses were conducted using commercial software ABAQUS to analyze the mechanical behavior of single-lap adhesive-bonded joints. Adhesive was characterized for the stress-strain relation by comparing the apparent shear-strain relations obtained from finite element analysis and experiments following ASTM D 5656 “Standard Test Method for Thick-Adherend Metal Lap-Shear Joints for Determination of the Stress-Strain Behavior of Adhesives in Shear by Tension Loading.” With the established stress-strain relation, two failure criteria using equivalent plastic strain and J-integral were used to predict the failure load for joint specimens following ASTM D 5656 and ASTM D 3165 (Strength Properties of Adhesives in Shear by Tension Loading of Single-Lap-Joint Laminated Assemblies), respectively. Bondline thicknesses of 0.013”, 0.04”, 0.08”, and 0.12” were used in the investigation. Good correlation was found between the finite element results and the experimental results.