Modeling Of Adhesively Bonded Joints Using Solid Cohesive Interface Element

To consider the variation of the joint strength on crashworthiness performance of the vehicles, one needs to model the adhesive fracture and/or adhesive bonded joint separation in explicit FE simulations. This paper examines an adhesive material model, MAT169, in LS-DYNA and its capability in modeling of adhesively bonded joints. Initial investigations were conducted on aluminum/epoxy joints including single lap shear, scarf and double cantilever joints. The results show that MAT169 actually is a cohesive interface element implemented in the form of a solid element. MAT169 is computationally efficient and can be used in a production environment. The result of this study is also applicable to adhesively bonded joints with other substrates including composites, steel and hybrid materials.