Abstract
Single-lap joints made of aluminium and carbon fibre adherends of different thickness are tested to understand better the behaviour of such dissimilar joints. The overlap length and the thickness of the adhesive are kept constant. Local deformation fields are monitored by using the digital image correlation method. Peeling and shearing strains are investigated, emphasizing that peeling is important in the region where failure is initiated, towards an extremity of the overlap region. The use of only carbon fibre adherends is not recommended for a smaller thickness as an additional interface failure is produced and compromises the integrity of the lap joint. However, a dissimilar joint (aluminium-carbon) with smaller thickness adherends succeeds to maintain the stiffness of the assembly, but its strength is diminished. The obtained results are suggesting that a complete monitoring of the failure processes in the overlap region can be fully understood only if local deformation measurements are possible.
Highlights
A eronautical, automotive or naval structural integrity is of great importance and any presence of imperfections can reduce significantly the load bearing capacity
The use of only carbon fibre adherends is not recommended for a smaller thickness as an additional interface failure is produced and compromises the integrity of the lap joint
The use of dissimilar single-lap joints is of great importance and this is why it is investigated in this article
Summary
A eronautical, automotive or naval structural integrity is of great importance and any presence of imperfections can reduce significantly the load bearing capacity. A different approach is proposed by Matihas and Lemaire [5] which emphasize that in engineering applications the thickness of the adhesive is seldom constant and a probabilistic analysis is needed to study the reliability of such adhesive joints They used aluminium and carbon fibre adherends of constant thickness and using Volkensen's model calculated a coefficient of safety for which the probability of failure should be below 0.01%. Moreira and Nunes [11] investigated the behaviour of a flexible adhesive and the critical shearing deformations which decrease towards the ends of the overlap, suggesting that the peeling strains are responsible for the initiation of the failure They pointed out that it is essential to consider the peeling effects for the correct interpretation of the strength of the joint. It is emphasized that only local measurements, in the overlap region, can provide correct information about the deformation and failure of the adhesive
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