Chapter 19 – The design of adhesively bonded joints

The design details presented in this chapter are intended to show how easy it is to design adhesively bonded joints that are stronger than the surrounding structures, no matter how thick or highly loaded the structure may be. All this can be accomplished without ever introducing unnecessary complexity. It is important to understand that three potential failure modes are possible and that it is necessary to consciously design to prevent premature failures by the weakest mode, which is usually one of induced peel stresses. Following the explanation regarding the phenomena governing the behavior of adhesively bonded joints, the chapter provides an outline of the steps involved in the typical joint-design process. The methods of analysis that the chapter describes will enhance one's understanding of the damage tolerance of properly designed bonded joints and of the necessarily non-uniform distribution of adhesive stresses so much that the desire to rely on end-item inspections in place of in-process control will eventually diminish and be forgotten so that it can no longer hamper the application of this valuable technology.