Analytical investigation of thermal and mechanical load effects on stress distribution in adhesive layer of double-lap metal-composite bonded joints

Significant thermal stresses are induced in the adhesive layers of a metal-composite bonded joint owing to the large temperature change associated with the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansions of metals and composite adherends. In this study, a theoretical analysis of shear and peel stresses in adhesive layers of a double-lap metal-composite bonded joint is carried out to evaluate the effects of thermal and mechanical loads on the stress distribution in the adhesive layer. The effects of temperature change and adhesive thickness on the shear and peel stresses in the adhesive layer of the bonded joint, with and without external forces, are examined based on the theoretical analysis. The results calculated for the condition involving a mechanical load application to the bonded joint and a decrease in temperature indicate that the absolute value of the shear and peel stresses peak at both ends of the adhesive layer, and that the absolute value of the peak stresses increases in the case of a thinner adhesive layer. When mechanical and thermal loads are simultaneously applied to a double-lap joint, shear and peel stresses synergistically increase at one end of the adhesive layer and decrease with an offset at the other end.