Interlaminar shear stress function for adhesively bonded multi-layer metal laminates

A new analytical model is proposed for the estimation of interlaminar shear stress in adhesively bonded metal laminates consisting of an arbitrary number of layers. The interface shear stress in the laminates is related to the difference in average axial strain and elongation between adjoining layers through a newly proposed interlaminar shear stress function (ILSSF). The parameters of the ILSSF are determined from finite element simulations using a data fitting procedure. The accuracy of the model is investigated by comparing experimental measurements of average elongation in three-layer aluminum laminates to values obtained using the model. Good agreement with the experimental results is achieved for several types of adhesives and for different ratios of adhesive-to-layer thicknesses. The influence of Young's modulus of the adhesive on the efficiency of load transfer in three-layer laminates is investigated.