Investigating and Analyzing the Stress Distribution in Flexible Adherend for Peel-Loaded Adhesive Joints

Abstract In engineering applications, the significance of the adhesive joint geometry lies in its direct consequence on load distribution, stress concentration, and durability of the bonded structure. In this study, two homogenous rectangular bodies were adhesively joined along a 12.5 mm. The focus of this study is to investigate the distribution of normal stresses in an adhesive joint subjected to peel load. The upper body represents the flexible adherent, and the lower body represents the rigid adherent. Six points on the upper body and three points in the adhesive joint were selected to investigate displacement and strain. The obtained results were valuable and showed changes in displacement gradually reduced from the rigid and flexible adherents to the adhesive joint. Notably, the displacement reached zero at the adhesive joint on point 5, meaning the stiffness of the adhesive layer bonding was effective. On the other hand, the study examined the adhesive layer deformation according to the uniformity of displacements across vertically aligned points. The adhesive layer's consistent response to the applied load at various locations confirmed the uniform deformation properties inside. This study's experimental data gave important insight into the deformation of adhesive joints and how stresses are distributed in them.