Finite Element Analysis of Adhesive Joining on Composite Materials

The application of adhesively bonded joints has increased significantly in order to improve the integrity of structural components in vehicle design. In this paper, finite element analysis is used to model the adhesive behavior of the adhesive joining between steel and composite. The cohesive element modeling techniques in Abaqus is used to model the adhesive interface. The standard lap shear and peeling test are first conducted to estimate the adhesive properties using reverse engineering. Next, these adhesive properties are applied and validated on the FE model of a 3D part for complex loading condition. The FEA model using reverse engineered cohesive interface properties get closed match to the test results for joining of the complex shape parts.