Effect of Adhesives on the Mechanical Behavior of Thick Composite Joints

In this paper, experimental and numerical methods are used to study the deformation and interfacial failure behavior of an adhesively-bonded thick joint made of multi-layer S2 glass/SC-15 epoxy resin composite material. The adhesive material is 3M Scotch-Weld Epoxy Adhesive DP405 Black. Continuum damage mechanics models are used to describe the damage initiation at or near the interface and final failure process. The effect of adhesive overlap length, thickness and plasticity on the interfacial shear stress and normal stress are studied. Experimental and analytical data are used to validate the proposed damage models.