DETERMINATION OF TRIAXIAL STRESSES IN BONDED JOINTS

Adhesion in a bonded joint is subjected not only to a transverse peel stress and a shear stress, but also to two normal stresses, parallel a nd perpendicular to the joint, due to the constraint imparted by the a dherends. In this paper, analytical solutions have been obtained for t hese two normal stresses. These solutions have been verified by compar ing with finite element results. As an alternative, an approximate met hod is also developed, which is shown to be in good agreement with the se triaxial stresses in a region close to the end of the joint. The tr iaxial stress state induces a stiffening effect, and hence existing pe el stress solutions should be modified to reflect such stress triaxial ity. The influences of these additional stress components on the yield ing behaviour of adhesives in bonded joints are briefly discussed. Cro wn copyright (C) 1997 published by Elsevier Science Ltd.