Evaluation of optimum configuration of adhesively bonded reverse bent joints

Adhesive bonding techniques have increased its application in automobile industries. The most common bonded joint configuration is the lap-shear joint, which when subjected to loading shows a differential substrate straining at the overlap ends. One of the methods to improve its performance is by introducing a reverse bent angle to the adherends at the overlap area. In this paper, the parameters which affect the strength of the reverse bend joints are found out by conducting experiments on different specimens. A detailed study was carried out showing the trends in the joint performance by varying the input parameters. Preformed angle at the overlap area, overlap length, ultimate tensile strength and modulus of the substrates have shown significant effect on the improvement of strength. For most of the adherends used in the automotive industries it has been found that a 10 degree preformed reverse bend joint consistently showed a 15 percent improvement in the strength compared to the traditional lap-shear joint. A model was developed based on Artificial Neural Networking system identification methods to predict the optimum joint configuration based on the given input parameters. This can be used to design high-performance adhesive bonded joints for parts and assemblies in automotive and aerospace industries.