Effect of Recessing Length in Adhesive Layer on the Cleavage Joints

The elastic finite element analysis (FEA) and the experimental method of testing the cleavage strength of the joint were used to investigate the effect of the recessing as well as its length on the stress distribution in both the mid-bondline and the adherend near the interface along the bondline of adhesively bonded steel cleavage joint. The results from the FEA simulation showed that the peak values of the stresses distributed in the mid-bondline were nearly the same when the length of the arranged recessing was not greater than 10 mm except that the shear stress Sxy was increased a little when the length of the recessing was increased. For the normal stress Sy near the interface of the joint with a 16 mm length recessing, the peak stress in the adherend is about 49% higher than the one in the adhesive at the left edge of the joint. And it is supported with the results from the experiments that the ultimate load of the steel-to-steel cleavage joint decreased a little when the gap length was less than 10 mm.