Durability modelling concepts and tools for the cohesive environmental degradation of bonded structures

摘要

This paper presents a framework that has been developed to enable the environmentally degraded response of bonded structures to be assessed. This framework includes both interfacial and cohesive weakening. Numerical tools are outlined which enable the implementation of this framework for structures where cohesive (rather than interfacial) weakening determines the degraded structural response. The application of these tools is illustrated for the case of a single-lap joint. Initially, the effect of the adhesive fillet on the kinetics of moisture diffusion through the joint is quantified and an approximate analytical model presented.