Thermal Stress Analysis of the Adhesive Layer in Composite Laminates

Abstract

This paper presents a thermal stress analysis of the adhesive structure to study the effect of temperature change on the performance of the resin layer. The adhesive structure’s finite element model (FEM) is established, and the verified test is conducted in an environmental chamber. The simulated predictions are in good agreement with the experimental data. Subsequently, the effect of thickness of the resin layer, the elastic modulus of sheet materials, and vertex angle on the thermal behavior of the adhesive structure are discussed. The results show that the stiffness of sheet materials and vertex angle have a limited influence on the thermal stress of the resin layer. It is beneficial to reduce its thermal stress by increasing the height of the resin layer. In addition, the difference in thermal expansion coefficients between the upper and bottom sheets is the major cause of thermal stress in the resin layer.