The Torque Transmission Capabilities of the Adhesively-Bonded Tubular Single Lap Joint and the Double Lap Joint

Abstract

Abstract With the wide application of fiber-reinforced composite materials in aircraft, space structures and robot arms, the design and manufacture of composite joints have become a very important research area because they are often the weakest areas in composite structures. In this paper, the stress and torque transmission capabilities of the adhesively-bonded tubular single lap joint and the double lap joint were experimentally tested. In order to compare the experimental results with the calculated results, the stress and torque transmission capabilities were analyzed by the 3-dimensional finite element method taking into consideration the nonlinear properties of the adhesive. From the experiments it was found that the torque transmission capabilities of the adhesively-bonded double lap joint was 2.7 times as large as that of the single lap joint. Also, it was found that the fatigue limit of the double lap joint was 16 times as large as that of the single lap joint.