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 inches, 0.04 inches, 0.08 inches, and 0.12 inches were used in the investigation. Good correlation was found between the finite element results and the experimental results.