Thermal non-linear elastic stress analysis of an adhesively bonded T-joint

Abstract

Adhesive joints consist of adherends and an adhesive layer having different thermal and mechanical properties. When they are exposed to uniform thermal loads the mechanical-thermal mismatches of the adherends and adhesive layer result in uniform but different thermal strain distributions in the adhesive and adherends. The thermal stresses arise near and along the adherend-adhesive interfaces. The present thermal stress analyses of adhesively bonded joints assume a uniform temperature distribution or a constant temperature imposed along the outer boundaries of adhesive lap joints. This paper outlines the thermal analysis and geometrically non-linear stress analysis of adhesive joints subjected to different plate edge conditions and varying thermal boundary conditions causing large displacements and rotations. In addition, the geometrically non-linear thermal stress analysis of an adhesively bonded T-joint with single support plus angled reinforcement was carried out using the incremental finite element method, which was subjected to variable thermal boundary conditions, i.e. air streams with different temperatures and velocities parallel and perpendicular to its outer surfaces. The steady state heat transfer analysis showed that the temperature distribution through the joint members was non-uniform and high heat fluxes occurred inside the adhesive fillets at the adhesive free ends. Based on the geometrically non-linear stress analysis of the T-joint bonded to both rigid and flexible bases for different plate edge conditions, stress concentrations were observed at the free ends of adhesive-adherend interfaces and inside the adhesive fillets around the adhesive free ends, and the horizontal and vertical plates also experienced considerable stress distributions along outer surfaces. In addition, the effect of support length on the peak thermal adhesive stresses was found to be dependent on the plate edge conditions, when a support length allowing moderate adhesive stresses was present.