Potential of Mesoscale Structural Elements in the Interface of Hybrid CFRP-Metal-Parts on the Load Transfer

The applicability and the influence of pin structures in dependence on the adhesive properties in hybrid joints are investigated in the course of this paper. First, single lap joint experiments are performed and a Finite Element model is used to obtain force-displacement curves, and thus the specific simulation parameters. The comparison of different models with a pin a semi-spherical pin, and without a pin show that the pin has a positive influence, especially on low adhesive strengths. In contrast, the pin has a lesser effect for adhesive joints with high strength. In the following study, different pin geometries, pin sizes and adhesive bonding parameters are tested. It is shown that the negative influence of a pin for high adhesive strength can be compensated by the specific design of a pin. Furthermore, small pins ensure the best force transmission performance. Finally, the alignment of elliptical pins depends on the bonding properties, as for high strength parameters, the pin should be oriented in load direction, and for low strength parameters, it is ideal to orient the pin transversely to the load direction.