Strength of adhesively bonded scarf joints between glass fibre-reinforced plastics and metals

Abstract The strength of adhesively bonded scarf joints under tensile load is investigated both analytically and experimentally. The joints comprise two adherends, one of glass-cloth laminated plastics and one of metal (carbon steel, brass, copper or aluminium alloy), bonded with an epoxy adhesive. The strain and stress distributions are analysed using the elastic finite element method and the strain distributions obtained are compared with experimental results. The strength of the joint is predicted by applying strength laws of the adherends, the adhesive layer and the adhesive interfaces. The predicted strength is compared with experimental results. The effects of scarf length and elastic imbalance on the deformation and strength of the joints are examined.