Cyclic Plasticity Behavior of Metallic Adhesively Bonded Joints Under Low-cycle Fatigue Conditions

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
S. Mohammad Hashemian 1
Mahmoud Shariati 1
Pedram Zamani 2
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
2 School of Engineering, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran
10.22055/jacm.2026.49183.5788
Abstract
Adhesive-bonded joints are increasingly employed in advanced engineering applications such as aerospace structures, wind turbine blades, and marine components, necessitating a reliable understanding of their plastic deformation and fatigue behavior under severe service loading. In practical applications, these joints experience asymmetric cyclic high-amplitude loading exceeding the adhesive yield limit, leading to progressive plastic deformation and ratcheting phenomena. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the hardening behavior and plastic strain accumulation within the adhesive layer of SS-304L single-lap bonded joints through a combined experimental and numerical approach. Also, geometrical parameters effects, including overlap length, adherend thickness, adherend material, and adhesive layer thickness on the evolution of ratcheting shear strains are examined using the finite element (FE) simulation incorporating a nonlinear kinematic hardening model. To validate the FE simulation results, the experimental fatigue tests under the asymmetric loading spectrum are conducted on single-lap joints. The integration of FE simulation and experimental fatigue test provides a reasonably robust validation framework through accurately predicting the inter-layer adhesive deformation. The shear strain distributions within the adhesive layer are obtained using the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique and processed using the NCORR algorithm in MATLAB software. Results reveal that reduction in overlap length significantly intensifies the accumulation of plastic strains in the adhesive layer, resulting in 75% reduction in fatigue life which can cause the bonded joint instability. Among all geometrical parameters, the overlap length and the adhesive thickness are identified as dominant factors governing ratcheting-induced degradation in single-lap adhesive joint.
Keywords
Adhesive bonded Single-lap joints
Ratcheting phenomena
Plastic strain accumulation
Nonlinear kinematic hardening model
Fatigue damage
Digital image correlation technique (DIC)
Subjects

Publisher’s Note Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

[1] Omairey, S., Jayasree, N., Kazilas, M., Defects and uncertainties of adhesively bonded composite joints, SN Applied Sciences, 3, 2021, 769-783.
[2] Zamani, P., Jaamialahmadi, A., da Silva, L.F.M., The influence of GNP and nano-silica additives on fatigue life and crack initiation phase of Al-GFRP bonded lap joints subjected to four-point bending, Composites Part B: Engineering, 207, 2021, 108589.
[3] Higgins, A., Adhesive bonding of aircraft structures, International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, 20, 2000, 367-376.
[4] Scarselli, G., Corcione, C., Nicassio, F., Maffezzoli, A., Adhesive joints with improved mechanical properties for aerospace applications, International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, 75, 2017, 174-180.
[5] Ji, Y., Han, K., Fracture mechanics approach for failure of adhesive joints in wind turbine blades, Renewable Energy, 65, 2014, 23-28.
[6] Silva, N.D.D., Experimental and numerical study of the impact behaviour of an adhesively bonded automotive structure, M.Sc. Thesis, Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal, 2019.
[7] Xu, X., Crocombe, A., Smith, P., Fatigue crack growth rates in adhesive joints tested at different frequencies, The Journal of Adhesion, 58, 1996, 191-204.
[8] Cavezza, F., Boehm, M., Terryn, H., Hauffman, T., A review on adhesively bonded aluminium joints in the automotive industry, Metals, 10, 2020, 730-751.
[9] Da Silva, L.F., Öchsner, A., Adams, R.D., Handbook of Adhesion Technology, Springer Science & Business Media, 2011.
[10] Srinivasan, D.V., Vassilopoulos, A.P., Fatigue performance of wind turbine rotor blade epoxy adhesives, Polymer Testing, 121, 2023, 107-127.
[11] Salimi-Majd, D., Azimzadeh, V., Mohammadi, B., Loading analysis of composite wind turbine blade for fatigue life prediction of adhesively bonded root joint, Applied Composite Materials, 22, 2015, 269-287.
[12] Sousa, F.C., Zamani, P., Akhavan-Safar, A., Da Silva, L., A comprehensive review of the SN fatigue behaviour of adhesive joints, Journal of Advanced Joining Processes, 9, 2024, 100178.
[13] Mohapatra, P.C., Smith, L.V., Adhesive hardening and plasticity in bonded joints, International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, 106, 2021, 102-125.
[14] Hoy, R.S., Robbins, M.O., Strain hardening of polymer glasses: Entanglements, energetics, and plasticity, Physical Review E-Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics, 77, 2008, 031801.
[15] Menzel, A.M., Pleiner, H., Brand, H.R., On the nonlinear stress-strain behavior of nematic elastomers–materials of two coupled preferred directions, Journal of Applied Physics, 105, 2009, 013503.
[16] Gao, H., Wang, J., Li, F., Gao, L., Zhang, Z., Uniaxial and biaxial ratcheting behavior of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, Materials Science and Engineering: C, 89, 2018, 295-306.
[17] Li, X., Chen, G., Chen, X., Lu, G.Q., Wang, L., Mei, Y.H., High temperature ratcheting behavior of nano-silver paste sintered lap shear joint under cyclic shear force, Microelectronics Reliability, 53, 2013, 174-181.
[18] Krause, M., Smith, L., Ratcheting in structural adhesives, Polymer Testing, 97, 2021, 107154.
[19] Chen, Y., Smith, L.V., Ratcheting and recovery of adhesively bonded joints under tensile cyclic loading, Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials, 27, 2023, 59-78.
[20] Zhang, J., Li, H., Li, H.Y., Wei, X.L., Uniaxial ratchetting and low-cycle fatigue failure behaviors of adhesively bonded butt-joints under cyclic tension deformation, International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, 95, 2019, 102-125.
[21] Zhang, J., Jia, H., Li, H., Li, H.Y., Investigation on the uniaxial ratchetting and fatigue failure behaviors of silicone seal adhesive bonded butt-joints under tensile and torsional cyclic loading, International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, 99, 2020, 102588.
[22] Zhang, J., Li, H.Y., Jia, H., Li, H., Analysis of dissipation energy and ratchetting behaviors on multiaxial fatigue of adhesively bonded joints, Engineering Failure Analysis, 120, 2021, 105-117.
[23] Akhavan-Safar, A., Eisaabadi Bozchaloei, G., Jalali, S., Beygi, R., Ayatollahi, M.R., da Silva, L.F., Impact fatigue life of adhesively bonded composite-steel joints enhanced with the bi-adhesive technique, Materials, 16, 2023, 419-431.
[24] Arouche, M., Saleh, M., de Freitas, S.T., de Barros, S., Effect of salt spray ageing on the fracture of composite-to-metal bonded joints, International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, 108, 2021, 102885.
[25] Demir, K., Bayramoglu, S., Akpinar, S., The fracture load analysis of different support patches in adhesively bonded single-lap joints, Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, 108, 2020, 102-127.
[26] ASTM, ASTM E8-01, Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Materials, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2001.
[27] ASTM, ASTM D1002-01, Standard Test Method for Apparent Shear Strength of Single-Lap-Joint Adhesively Bonded Metal Specimens by Tension Loading (Metal-to-Metal), ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2001.
[28] ISO, ISO 17212:2004, Structural Adhesives — Guidelines for the Surface Preparation of Metals and Plastics Prior to Adhesive Bonding, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2004.
[29] ASTM, ASTM D638-14, Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2014.
[30] Badnava, H., Pezeshki, S., Fallah Nejad, K., Farhoudi, H., Determination of combined hardening material parameters under strain controlled cyclic loading by using the genetic algorithm method, Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, 26, 2012, 3067-3072.
[31] Zehsaz, M., Tahami, F.V., Akhani, H., Experimental determination of material parameters using stabilized cycle tests to predict thermal ratchetting, UPB Scientific Bulletin, Series D: Mechanical Engineering, 78, 2016, 17-30.
[32] Moradi, A., Shariati, M., Zamani, P., Karimi, R., Experimental and numerical analysis of ratcheting behavior of A234 WPB steel elbow joints including corrosion defects, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of Materials: Design and Applications, 237, 2023, 451-468.
[33] Kamel Abbasnia, S., Shariati, M., Experimental and numerical investigation of ratcheting behavior in seamless carbon steel 90° elbow pipe with small dimensions under constant internal pressure and in-plane cyclic bending, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping, 204, 2023, 104974.
[34] Mohapatra, P.C., Smith, L.V., Characterization of adhesive yield criteria using mixed-mode loading, Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology, 33, 2019, 1248-1260.
[35] Dunne, F., Petrinic, N., Introduction to Computational Plasticity, OUP Oxford, 2005.
[36] Prager, W., A new method of analyzing stresses and strains in work-hardening plastic solids, Journal of Applied Mechanics, 23, 1956, 493-496.
Journal of Applied and Computational Mechanics

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 22 June 2026