An experimental and analytical study of the mechanical behaviour of adhesively bonded joints for variable extension rates and temperatures

In the present paper, mechanical behaviours of adhesively bonded joints are studied with the help of double lap shear (DLS) coupon tests conducted at different extension rates and temperatures. The joint specimens are made from dual-phase steel coupons bonded with epoxy resin. Tests are also carried out to ascertain the behaviours of these component materials. It has been found that at a high temperature, the adhesive joint exhibits a greater degree of strain rate sensitivity with a perceptible fall in the joint strength. However, at a low temperature, the joint strength remains comparable to that at room temperature. A new semi-analytical solution procedure is developed considering material nonlinearity to predict mechanical behaviours of adhesively bonded DLS joints. The joint behaviours using the semi-analytical approach are predicted separately using the Von Mises (VM) and Raghava yield criteria. It has been found here that the application of the Raghava criterion yields good correlation with test load–extension behaviours for most temperatures and extension rates considered; on the other hand, the VM condition gives rise to perceptibly softer joint behaviour when compared to test data at a high temperature.