A general solution for the two-dimensional stress analysis of balanced and unbalanced adhesively bonded joints

This paper presents an efficient analytical solution strategy to determine the adhesive stresses in balanced and unbalanced adhesively bonded joints with mixed force loading and/or displacement boundary conditions. The adhesive stresses are expressed in terms of geometrical dimensions and material properties, combined with integration constants obtained numerically. The model is successfully applied for the analysis of various types of joints, including balanced and unbalanced stiffened plate/joint, single-strap joint, and single-lap joint. In all such cases, the linear equation sets are supplied to determine the integration constants in the final stress expressions. The analytical predictions agree well with the finite element results for adhesive stresses. This proposed model can be extended conveniently to predict the mechanical behavior of similar bonded structures such as composite laminates, electronics packaging, and flexible electronics structures.