The effect of the adherend width on the strength of adhesively bonded single-lap joint: Experimental and numerical analysis

In the present study, mechanical properties of different Single Lap Joint (SLJ) configurations with different adherent width values subjected to tensile loading were investigated experimentally and numerically. Using AA2024-T3 aluminum alloy as adherend and DP460 as paste adhesive, eight different types of single-lap joint samples (width of the adherent was 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 m; overlap length was 5 ,10, 15, 20 or 25 mm) were produced for experimental studies. Stress analyses in the SLJ were performed non-linear finite element method by considering the geometrical non-linearity and the material non-linearities of the adhesive (DP460) and adherend (AA2024-T3). As a result, in SLJ geometries, increasing the adherent width raises the load-carrying capacity of the joints higher when compared to increasing overlap length. The failure load value of the joint increases as the area of bonding varies from rectangle to square. In addition, it was found that the data obtained from finite element analysis were coherent with experimental results.