Effect of Adhesive Thickness on Fatigue Disbonding Through a Cohesive Zone Modelling Approach

Adhesively bonded joints are crucial to the aeronautical industry, contributing to weight reduction and more sustainable flights. However, certifying these joints is still a topic of debate due to the lack of reliable inspection methods to determine their strength. Additionally, prediction models fo...

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Main Authors: Johan Birnie, Maria Pia Falaschetti, Enrico Troiani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Engineering Proceedings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4591/90/1/65
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author Johan Birnie
Maria Pia Falaschetti
Enrico Troiani
author_facet Johan Birnie
Maria Pia Falaschetti
Enrico Troiani
author_sort Johan Birnie
collection DOAJ
description Adhesively bonded joints are crucial to the aeronautical industry, contributing to weight reduction and more sustainable flights. However, certifying these joints is still a topic of debate due to the lack of reliable inspection methods to determine their strength. Additionally, prediction models for crack growth under fatigue loading are still being developed. This manuscript describes the implementation and validation of a cohesive zone model to evaluate high cycle fatigue disbonding under mode I opening. This model was integrated into the commercial finite element analysis software Abaqus using user-defined subroutines, specifically a UMAT. The experimental data from the literature on the effect of adhesive thickness during fatigue loading of a double cantilever beam were used for model validation. Three modelling techniques were explored, including substitution of the adhesive with the cohesive zone (2D and 3D) and the addition of a cohesive layer in the mid-plane of the adhesive (2D only). The results have confirmed that the model is effective in accurately predicting fatigue crack growth in all the simulated cases. Additionally, it has been shown that the adhesive’s thickness has an impact on the simulation results, particularly with thicker bondlines and low strain energy release rates.
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spelling doaj-art-6f2e38a5e57a49778d194aaa5d9beabf2025-08-20T02:21:06ZengMDPI AGEngineering Proceedings2673-45912025-03-019016510.3390/engproc2025090065Effect of Adhesive Thickness on Fatigue Disbonding Through a Cohesive Zone Modelling ApproachJohan Birnie0Maria Pia Falaschetti1Enrico Troiani2MaSTeR Lab, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, Via Fontanelle 40, 47121 Forlì, FC, ItalyMaSTeR Lab, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, Via Fontanelle 40, 47121 Forlì, FC, ItalyMaSTeR Lab, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, Via Fontanelle 40, 47121 Forlì, FC, ItalyAdhesively bonded joints are crucial to the aeronautical industry, contributing to weight reduction and more sustainable flights. However, certifying these joints is still a topic of debate due to the lack of reliable inspection methods to determine their strength. Additionally, prediction models for crack growth under fatigue loading are still being developed. This manuscript describes the implementation and validation of a cohesive zone model to evaluate high cycle fatigue disbonding under mode I opening. This model was integrated into the commercial finite element analysis software Abaqus using user-defined subroutines, specifically a UMAT. The experimental data from the literature on the effect of adhesive thickness during fatigue loading of a double cantilever beam were used for model validation. Three modelling techniques were explored, including substitution of the adhesive with the cohesive zone (2D and 3D) and the addition of a cohesive layer in the mid-plane of the adhesive (2D only). The results have confirmed that the model is effective in accurately predicting fatigue crack growth in all the simulated cases. Additionally, it has been shown that the adhesive’s thickness has an impact on the simulation results, particularly with thicker bondlines and low strain energy release rates.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4591/90/1/65disbondingDCBcohesive zone modelshigh-cycle fatiguecrack growth
spellingShingle Johan Birnie
Maria Pia Falaschetti
Enrico Troiani
Effect of Adhesive Thickness on Fatigue Disbonding Through a Cohesive Zone Modelling Approach
Engineering Proceedings
disbonding
DCB
cohesive zone models
high-cycle fatigue
crack growth
title Effect of Adhesive Thickness on Fatigue Disbonding Through a Cohesive Zone Modelling Approach
title_full Effect of Adhesive Thickness on Fatigue Disbonding Through a Cohesive Zone Modelling Approach
title_fullStr Effect of Adhesive Thickness on Fatigue Disbonding Through a Cohesive Zone Modelling Approach
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Adhesive Thickness on Fatigue Disbonding Through a Cohesive Zone Modelling Approach
title_short Effect of Adhesive Thickness on Fatigue Disbonding Through a Cohesive Zone Modelling Approach
title_sort effect of adhesive thickness on fatigue disbonding through a cohesive zone modelling approach
topic disbonding
DCB
cohesive zone models
high-cycle fatigue
crack growth
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4591/90/1/65
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AT mariapiafalaschetti effectofadhesivethicknessonfatiguedisbondingthroughacohesivezonemodellingapproach
AT enricotroiani effectofadhesivethicknessonfatiguedisbondingthroughacohesivezonemodellingapproach