Stress analysis of adhesively-bonded joints under in-plane shear loading

A closed-form stress analysis of an adhesively-bonded lap joint subjected t o spatially-varying in-plane shear loading is presented. The solution, whil e similar to Volkersen's treatment of tension loaded lap joints, is inheren tly two-dimensional and, in general, predicts a multi-component adhesive sh ear stress state. A finite difference numerical solution of the derived gov erning differential equation is used to verify the accuracy of the closed-f orm solution for a joint of semi-infinite geometry. The stress analysis of a finite-sized doubler is also presented. This analysis predicts the adhesi ve stresses at the doubler boundaries, and can be performed independently f rom the complex stress state that would exist due to a patched crack or hol e located within the interior of the doubler. The analytical treatment of l ap joints under combined tension and shear loading is now simplified since superposition principles allow the stress states predicted by separate shea r and tension cases to be added together. Applications and joint geometries are discussed.