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In response to heightened environmental awareness, various industries, including the civil and automotive sector, are contemplating a shift towards the utilization of more sustainable materials. For adhesive bonding, this necessitates the exploration of materials derived from renewable sources, commonly denoted as bio-adhesives. This study focuses on a bio-adhesive L-joint, which is a commonly employed configuration in the automotive sector for creating bonded structural components with significant bending stiffness. In this investigation, the behavior of joints composed of pine wood and bio-based adhesives was studied. Two distinct configurations were studied, differing solely in the fiber orientation of the wood. The research combined experimental testing and finite element modeling to analyze the strength of the joints and determine their failure mode when subjected to tensile loading conditions. The findings indicate that the configuration of the joint plays a crucial role in its overall performance, with one of the solutions demonstrating higher strength. Additionally, a good degree of agreement was observed between the experimental and numerical analyses for one of the configurations, while the consideration of the maximum principal stress failure predictor (MPSFP) proved to accurately predict the location for crack propagation in both configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While most academic studies focus on the properties of cured joints, this research addresses the manufacturing process of hybrid joints in their uncured state. Hybrid joints that combine adhesive bonding with pre-tensioned bolts exhibit superior mechanical performance compared to exclusively bonded or bolted joints. However, the adhesive flow during manufacturing in hybrid joints often results in a nonuniform adhesive thickness, where obtaining an exact thickness is crucial for accurate load capacity predictions. This paper presents experiments involving three different adhesives, providing precise measurements of the adhesive layer thickness distribution, which served as a reference when evaluating and validating the subsequent numerical predictions. The numerical predictions were performed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to model the flow behavior of the adhesives during the bonding process and their interactions with the metal substrates. The CFD predictions of the adhesive layer thickness showed good agreement with the experimental data, with the relative differences between the average experimental and numerical thickness values ranging from 4.07% to 27.1%. The results were most accurate for the adhesive with sand particles, whose particles remained intact, ensuring that the adhesive's rheology remained unchanged. The results highlight the importance of the rheological behavior of the adhesive in the final distribution of the adhesive layer thickness, thereby expanding the understanding of these joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During production or service life, lightweight components made of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) may suffer from different types of defects such as cracks or delamination, which may be detected, amongst others, with the help of ultrasonic lamb waves (LW). The study intends to illustrate the potentials of numerical models to assist the design of LW-based non-destructive testing (NDT) processes. For that, the complete NDT chain of an LW driven inspection system was supported by a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) using stringer-stiffened C FRP panels as an exemplary component. The study was divided in two publications: The first part focused on the description of the numerical model, illustration of its functionalities and – most importantly – the determination of LW related effects that were needed to design the inspection system (dispersion characteristics, excitation frequency, propagating modes etc.). In this part, the FEA driven design approach was first validated with self measured experimental data as well as experiments provided in literature. In the second step, the numerical model was applied for the performance of parameter studies in order to identify component specific aspects that proved important for the NDT process. Finally, general advices and FEA related working steps were derived from all findings to assist practitioners in the implementation of the technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediction of residual stresses in adhesively bonded joints is a major topic among practitioners, as they significantly contribute to failure. The experimental determination of relevant material properties, like shrinkage, modulus development, and relaxation behavior, is considered highly complex. Viscoelastic and numerical models are often simplified to suit specific applications. However, most of them do not consider all relevant parameters or limited portions of the curing process. This publication addresses the lack of experimental methods to determine cure-dependent properties of reactive adhesives to use them as input for FE modelling to predict cure-induced stresses. The authors focus on extended rotational rheometry (ExRheo), to determine shrinkage, shear modulus, and relaxation in dependency of curing time for three adhesives. The relationship between change of viscoelastic properties, shrinkage, and curing degree is determined through DSC and kinetic modelling. The experimental results are modelled to be implemented in a numerical analysis in order to predict cure-induced stresses in constrained rheological experiment in ExRheo. Numerical results show very good agreement with the experiments, which validate the methodology. For the first time, shrinkage induced residual stresses are modelled ab initio over the curing process, without any assumptions, solely based upon direct experimental data using a single device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Components made of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) may suffer from various types of damages, such as cracks or delamination. In order to monitor the structures' material condition, non destructive testing (NDT) methods have emerged – among them, the use of ultrasonic waves. Inter alia, research focused on Lamb waves (LW), which offer promising conditions for NDT processes. However, prior implementation in a specific production environment, practitioners are faced with many open questions such as excitation frequencies to be used or which mode to select for defect identification. Therefore, the study aimed at demonstrating how a finite element analysis (FEA) can assist the experimental design of an LW driven NDT process. For that, a numerical model was developed, capable of computing LW propagations in an exemplary component: Stringer-stiffened C-FRP panels. The study was divided into two parts: In this part, all information regarding the model building is presented and principal functionality demonstrated. In the second part, the FEA is validated and then used to perform parameter studies, highlighting important conditions for practical application. The results of the present paper showed that stiffeners provoke varying interactions with LW modes – effects that increase wave field complexity but do not limit defect identification within or behind the stringer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatigue loaded structures in steel construction, e. g. bridges and towers of wind turbines, are preferably executed with slip‐resistant connections since these connections are generally regarded as fatigue resistant. Nevertheless, the transferable shear loads are limited by the slip factor and the preload level in the bolts. With additionally applied adhesive on the friction surfaces, the so‐called preloaded hybrid connection is formed. The related increase in load capacity considering various manufacturing influences is presented in the following article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediction of stresses in adhesively bonded joints requires high effort in determination of relevant material properties, which change during cure. In addition, the computational effort using complex viscoelastic finite element (FE) models impends efficient prediction of stress build-up. Rotational and oscillatory rheometry can help to reduce the experimental effort by measuring of modulus of elasticity (MoE) and axial shrinkage along curing. In this publication, shrinkage, development of MoE and Poisson's ratio of a curing adhesive were numerically modelled between two parallel rheometer plates in order to calculate cure-induced stresses using finite element analysis (FEA). To identify effects of different material properties on stress distribution, a parameter study was carried out and the reciprocal influence of the varied parameters was investigated. Consequently, resulting stresses within the adhesive layer and occurring deformations were investigated with respect to curing time as well as their location. The results showed that final shrinkage and MoE need to be considered not only in final values but also in terms of course of shrinkage and reaction. Stress build-up led to deformation of the rheometer plates, which has to be considered when using rheometry for determination of cure shrinkage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]