Effect of adhesive layer properties on the shear strength of single-lap structures of dissimilar materials based on the cohesive zone model

Abstract

An analysis method for improving the shear strength for the single-lap joints of dissimilar materials based on the cohesive zone model (CZM) is presented in this paper. The shear-lag model is established for the single-lap joint, and the stress distribution of joints is derived on the basis of this model, which is verified by simulation. The bilinear CZM is constructed to simulate the fracture process of joints, and the influence of lap length and adhesive layer thickness on the stress distribution of adhesive layers is comprehensively analyzed through simulation. Therefore, the effects of different properties of adhesive layers on the bonded structure strength are discussed with experiments. Results show that the reasonable lap length and thickness in this work are, respectively, 20–22 and 0.4–0.6 mm. The research results will serve as a guide for the parameter design, fracture prediction, and performance optimization of bonded joints.