Numerical investigation of the strength of Al/GFRP adhesive bonding under tensile loading

Abstract

In this study, adhesive bonding of aluminum (Al) to glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) was investigated using finite element analysis to optimize bond strength. Mechanical surface preparation has a great influence on the chemical properties (increasing surface energy and creating a stronger bond) and mechanical properties (creating mechanical interlocking and increasing friction) of adhesive bonding. Hence, the response surface method was employed to examine the influence of groove number (1, 3, 5), groove angle (0, 45, 90°), groove shape (V-shape, square, concave), and joint type (metal–metal, metal–composite, composite–composite) on the tensile strength of the bond. To simulate the bond behavior of Al/GFRP under different parameter conditions, the cohesive zone model was used to consider the crack growth. Optimization results obtained by the desirability function method showed that the maximum bond strength was achieved with a groove number of 1, groove shape of square, groove angle of 0°, and metal–metal joint type. The optimization results predicted by the desirability function and finite element analysis were in good agreement with those obtained by experimental tests.