Dynamic response of adhesively bonded single-lap joints with a void subjected to harmonic peeling loads

The only viable method to join some components is by using adhesives. These components are often subjected to dynamic loading, which may cause initiation and propagation of failure in the joint. In order to ensure the reliability of these structures, their dynamic response and its variation with the presence of defects in the bonded area must be understood. The dynamic response of a single-lap joint subjected to an out-of-plane harmonic force is evaluated. The bonded joint is modelled as a Euler–Bernoulli beam joined with an adhesive and constrained at one end and subjected to a harmonic force at the free end. The results show that the system response is not sensitive to a range of adhesive loss factor of 0–1. Furthermore, the system response is little affected by the presence of void in the bond area. The system response seems to be more sensitive to the void location than to its size. Peel and shear stresses in the bond area are obtained and found to be conŽ ned to the edge of the overlap. For the adhesive and adherent properties and geometries investigated the maximum peel and shear stresses in the bond area are little affected by the presence of a central void, covering up to 60 per cent of the overlap length for all applied loading frequencies. However, when the frequency of the applied load is close to the natural frequencies of the structure, a void may increase or decrease both the maximum peel and shear stresses.