Influence of adhesive characteristics on the transverse free vibration of single lap-jointed cantilevered beams

This paper deals with the influence of adhesive properties on the transverse free vibration characteristics of single lap-jointed cantilevered beams. The investigations are carried out using the finite element method (FEM). The analysis provides efficient calculations for natural frequencies and mode shapes of the single lap-jointed cantilevered beams, and accounts for various effects of Poisson’s ratio and Young’s modulus of adhesive. Numerical examples are provided to show the influence on the transverse natural frequencies and mode shapes of the single lap-jointed cantilevered beams of different characteristics of adhesives. It is shown that the transverse natural frequencies of single lap-jointed cantilevered beams increase significantly as the Young’s modulus of the adhesive increase, but only slightly change with an increase in Poisson’s ratio. It is also shown that the strength of the adhesive has a very significant effect on the modal properties of the even modes of vibration but an insignificant effect on the modal properties of the odd modes of vibration. The mode shapes show that there are different deformations in the adhesive layer which are not present in a cantilevered beam without a joint. These deformations may cause high stresses in the adhesive layer and may initiate local cracking and delamination failures.