Research Article

Numerical Investigation of The Influence of Adhesive Layer Thickness, Fillet Geometry And Reinforcement on The Creep Behavior of Single Lap Joint

Volume: 18 Number: 1 June 30, 2026

Numerical Investigation of The Influence of Adhesive Layer Thickness, Fillet Geometry And Reinforcement on The Creep Behavior of Single Lap Joint

Abstract

Adhesive joints are widely used in the automotive, aerospace, and construction industries because they distribute loads uniformly, join dissimilar materials, and reduce structural weight. However, their long-term performance is strongly affected by creep, the time-dependent deformation of the adhesive layer under sustained loading, which can compromise joint integrity. This study presents a systematic numerical investigation of the combined effects of adhesive layer thickness, fillet geometry, and material reinforcement on the creep behavior of adhesively bonded single lap joints. Finite element simulations were performed in Abaqus using the Norton-Bailey power-law constitutive model, with validation against published results showing a maximum deviation below 7.5%. Four adhesive thicknesses (0.25-0.55 mm) were analyzed at both the elastic (t = 0.1 s) and creep-dominant (t = 4 h) stages. The results show that increasing adhesive thickness reduces peak shear stress and creep strain by approximately 15-25% and 20-30%, respectively, by promoting a more uniform load transfer along the overlap. The introduction of fillets at the overlap edges further mitigates stress concentration, yielding an additional 10-20% reduction in peak stress and strain. Carbon-fiber reinforcement of the adhesive produces the most pronounced improvement, decreasing peak creep strain by 44.68% for Epoxy A and 24.37% for Epoxy B. These findings provide design-level insights for enhancing the long-term durability of adhesively bonded joints through combined geometric and material optimization.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

None

Project Number

Not applicable

Ethical Statement

This study does not involve human participants or animals. All analyses are based on numerical simulations; therefore, ethical approval is not required.

Thanks

The authors acknowledge that this research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

References

  1. ASM International, Adhesive Bonding, Materials Park, OH, 2011.
  2. Sarker, R., Islam, M.S., Somadder, S., Numerical investigation of stress field near the vertex of a 3D three-layer piezoelectric bonded joint. International Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturing and Process Engineering (ICMMPE 2022), Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2022.
  3. Das, P., Islam, M.A., Somadder, S., Hasib, M.A., Analytical and numerical solutions of pressurized thick-walled FGM spheres. Archive of Applied Mechanics, 93, 2781–2792, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00419-023-02406-3
  4. Das, P., Islam, M.A., Somadder, S., Hasib, M.A., Analytical and numerical analysis of functionally graded axisymmetric cylinders under thermo-mechanical loadings. Materials Today Communications, 33, 104405, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2022.104405
  5. Somadder, S., Islam, M.S., Stress analysis of a cylinder subjected to thermo-mechanical loads using FEM. 4th International Conference on Structure, Processing and Properties of Materials (SPPM 2018), IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2018.
  6. Jeevi, G., Nayak, S.K., Kader, M.A., Review on adhesive joints and their application in hybrid composite structures. Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology, 33, 1497-1520, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1080/01694243.2018.1543528
  7. Zhao, L., Wang, Y., Qin, T., Zhang, J., A new material model for 2D FE analysis of adhesively bonded composite joints. Materials Science, 20, 468-473, 2014. https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.20.4.5960
  8. Somadder, S., Islam, M.S., Effect of adhesive layer thickness and slant angle on piezoelectric bonded joints. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 19, 251-268, 2022.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Solid Mechanics, Numerical Methods in Mechanical Engineering

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Muhammad Ullah This is me
Bangladesh

A B M Mahir Faisal This is me
Bangladesh

Muhammad Jawad Zin Noor This is me
Bangladesh

Md. Mahbubur Rahman This is me
Bangladesh

Publication Date

June 30, 2026

Submission Date

January 4, 2026

Acceptance Date

May 6, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 18 Number: 1

APA
Somadder, S., Ullah, M., Faisal, A. B. M. M., Zin Noor, M. J., Rahman, M. M., & Islam, M. A. (2026). Numerical Investigation of The Influence of Adhesive Layer Thickness, Fillet Geometry And Reinforcement on The Creep Behavior of Single Lap Joint. International Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.24107/ijeas.1856017
AMA
1.Somadder S, Ullah M, Faisal ABMM, Zin Noor MJ, Rahman MM, Islam MA. Numerical Investigation of The Influence of Adhesive Layer Thickness, Fillet Geometry And Reinforcement on The Creep Behavior of Single Lap Joint. IJEAS. 2026;18(1). doi:10.24107/ijeas.1856017
Chicago
Somadder, Somnath, Muhammad Ullah, A B M Mahir Faisal, Muhammad Jawad Zin Noor, Md. Mahbubur Rahman, and Md Ashraful Islam. 2026. “Numerical Investigation of The Influence of Adhesive Layer Thickness, Fillet Geometry And Reinforcement on The Creep Behavior of Single Lap Joint”. International Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences 18 (1). https://doi.org/10.24107/ijeas.1856017.
EndNote
Somadder S, Ullah M, Faisal ABMM, Zin Noor MJ, Rahman MM, Islam MA (June 1, 2026) Numerical Investigation of The Influence of Adhesive Layer Thickness, Fillet Geometry And Reinforcement on The Creep Behavior of Single Lap Joint. International Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences 18 1
IEEE
[1]S. Somadder, M. Ullah, A. B. M. M. Faisal, M. J. Zin Noor, M. M. Rahman, and M. A. Islam, “Numerical Investigation of The Influence of Adhesive Layer Thickness, Fillet Geometry And Reinforcement on The Creep Behavior of Single Lap Joint”, IJEAS, vol. 18, no. 1, June 2026, doi: 10.24107/ijeas.1856017.
ISNAD
Somadder, Somnath - Ullah, Muhammad - Faisal, A B M Mahir - Zin Noor, Muhammad Jawad - Rahman, Md. Mahbubur - Islam, Md Ashraful. “Numerical Investigation of The Influence of Adhesive Layer Thickness, Fillet Geometry And Reinforcement on The Creep Behavior of Single Lap Joint”. International Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences 18/1 (June 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.24107/ijeas.1856017.
JAMA
1.Somadder S, Ullah M, Faisal ABMM, Zin Noor MJ, Rahman MM, Islam MA. Numerical Investigation of The Influence of Adhesive Layer Thickness, Fillet Geometry And Reinforcement on The Creep Behavior of Single Lap Joint. IJEAS. 2026;18. doi:10.24107/ijeas.1856017.
MLA
Somadder, Somnath, et al. “Numerical Investigation of The Influence of Adhesive Layer Thickness, Fillet Geometry And Reinforcement on The Creep Behavior of Single Lap Joint”. International Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, vol. 18, no. 1, June 2026, doi:10.24107/ijeas.1856017.
Vancouver
1.Somnath Somadder, Muhammad Ullah, A B M Mahir Faisal, Muhammad Jawad Zin Noor, Md. Mahbubur Rahman, Md Ashraful Islam. Numerical Investigation of The Influence of Adhesive Layer Thickness, Fillet Geometry And Reinforcement on The Creep Behavior of Single Lap Joint. IJEAS. 2026 Jun. 1;18(1). doi:10.24107/ijeas.1856017

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