Adhesive Type, Geometry, Bonding Method, and Adherend Material Effects on the Strength of Adhesively-Bonded T-Joints

Abstract

The adhesive bonding technique is employed from the aeronautical/aerospace industry to current house products. To comply with the requirements of distinct applications, different joint configurations are available to the designer. T-joints are seldom studied in the literature, but these are used, for instance, in aircraft to bond the stiffener beams to the skin, or in the cars between the B-pillar and the rocker. This work initially aims to validate the cohesive zone modelling (CZM) technique with experiments, and then use it to numerically evaluate and optimize the performance of T-joints subjected to peel loads. CZM is nowadays regarded as the most powerful strength prediction tool for adhesive joints, and can be a valuable tool to improve T-joints. Different features are addressed for a complete analysis: adhesive type, geometrical parameters, dual-adhesive technique for strength improvement, and composite joints. The evaluated geometrical parameters are the base adherend thickness (a), T-part thickness (t), overlap or bonding length (l) and curvature radius (r). As a result of this work, the model was successfully validated, and clear design guidelines were provided to define the ideal geometric and material (adhesive) conditions for best performance.