Effect of boundary conditions and spacers on single-lap joints loaded in tension or compression

The mechanics of a single-lap joint with different boundary conditions subjected to tensile or compressive loading is investigated. The analysis includes spacers used to reduce alignment errors. The closed-form solutions confirm that for tensile loading, the different grip configurations mainly affect the response of the specimens if the grip position is close to the overlap edge or the loads are small. The influence of the spacers is more significant for specimens subjected to compressive loads. Generally, adding alignment spacers tends to reduce the deflection along the specimen, and decrease the bending moment at the overlap edge.