Characteristics of interlaminar stresses for damages in adhesively-bonded composite single lap joints

Abstract

In this paper three-dimensional non-linear finite element analyses are carried out to evaluate accurately the stresses over the different critical surfaces for adhesion failure, cohesion failure and delamination damages of an adhesively-bonded fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite single lap joint (SLJ) subjected to an in-plane loading. The top and bottom adherends of the SLJ are formed by eight layers of unidirectional graphite FRP composite and the material of the adhesive is epoxy. The out-of-plane stresses and their distribution over the critical surfaces are presented, and conclusions about the damages and failures for the adhesively-bonded composite SLJ are drawn.

Keywords:

• Adhesively-bonded joints
• adhesion failure
• delamination
• FRP
• interlaminar stresses

Additional information

Notes on contributors

S K Panigrahi

Dr Sashi Kanta Panigrahi (PhD, IIT Kharagpur) is working with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Deemed University, Ministry of Defence, Government of India. He has about 20 years of teaching, research and training experience. He works in the area of analysis and design of composite structures; characterisation of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials; finite element analysis of FRP composite materials and composite structures; natural fibre-reinforced composite materials; fracture mechanics principle applicable to modelling and simulation of damages in orthotropic and isotropic materials; and material characterisation, stress analysis and solid mechanics of machine design. He has published research articles in peer reviewed international journals and conferences, and has also published in books, monographs and conference proceedings.

Y X Zhang

Dr YX (Sarah) Zhang is a Senior Lecturer in School of Engineering and Information Technology in the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy (UNSW@ADFA). Before she joined in UNSW@ADFA, she held the position as an Assistant Professor and lecturer in other campus of the UNSW. She gained intensive research experience as a postdoctoral research fellow in UNSW, University of Queensland and Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea after completing her PhD in the University of Hong Kong in 2001. She obtained her Bachelor degree and Master degree in Engineering Mechanics from Tianjin University, China, in 1992 and 1995. Sarah’s main research areas are composite materials and structures used in a variety of areas, including civil, aerospace and mechanical engineering. She has been working on the development of advanced finite element methods and non-linear finite element analyses and modelling of engineering structures including composite materials and structures. In recent years, she has been conducting research on the fibre-reinforced polymer concrete structures and fibre-reinforced concrete materials and structures, especially the structural behaviour under extreme loading such as impact loading and fire loadings. Since 1998, she has published over 90 peer-reviewed scholarly research papers including 4 book chapters and research papers published in leading international journals and conferences.