Stiffness prediction of the double lap shear joint. Part 2: Finite element modeling

To develop vehicles with adhesively bonded structures, one needs to be able to perform structural finite element (FE) analysis of the adhesive joints. In current structural analysis practice, adhesive joints are modeled as rigid joints, semi-rigid springs, or other equivalent representations. This paper is aimed at determining modeling methods that give reasonably accurate predictions of the stiffness of bonded joints, and yet are practical enough to be used at the component or vehicle level of modeling. Starting with the double lap shear (DLS) joint, different finite element modeling methods were investigated. Simulation results were compared with DLS test results and with the analytical solutions presented in Part 1 of this paper (Stiffness prediction of the double lap shear joint. Suitable modeling methods are recommended for ABAQUS and LS-DYNA.