The stresses in single lap joints with a functionally graded adhesive bondline: an efficient modelling approach

In this work, an efficient analytical model for the stress analysis of single lap joints with a functionally graded adhesive bondline is proposed which considers peel as well as shear stresses in the adhesive. The model takes into account the nonlinear geometric characteristics of a single lap joint under tensile loading and allows for the analysis of various adhesive Young's modulus variations. The obtained stress distributions are compared to results of detailed Finite Element analyses and show a good agreement for several single lap joint configurations. In addition, different adhesive Young's modulus distributions and their effect on the peel and shear stresses are studied and discussed in detail. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)