Impact loading analysis of tubular adhesive joints

Abstract

The constant evolution of the industry and the need to use new types of materials lead to the increasing use of adhesive joints. The applications of tubular adhesive joints have also considerably grown, although studies on this type of joint are very scarce, especially under impact loads. Therefore, it is of extreme importance to be able to predict and enhance this type of joints to withstand these specific loads. In this work, the impact strength of tubular adhesive joints with AW6082-T651 aluminum alloy adherends and the adhesive Araldite® AV138 is studied. For this purpose, the modification of the main geometric parameters and is considered: overlap length (LO) and outer tube thickness (tSE). The analysis includes the peel (σy) and shear stress (τxy) distributions, enabling to better compare the different geometries. Maximum load (Pm) and dissipated energy at failure (U) prediction is accomplished using cohesive zone models (CZM). Previous CZM validation with single-lap joints (SLJ) was accomplished. With this study, it was possible to evaluate the different geometrical parameters, select the optimal geometry, and to validate the cohesive zone technique for the impact strength prediction of tubular adhesive joints.