A Review of Formulations to Design an Adhesive Single Lap-Joint for Use in Marine Applications

Abstract

[Abstract] The single adhesive joint has many applications in the shipbuilding industry, where it offers the advantage of joining materials (adherents) with different properties and characteristics using an adhesive. However, one disadvantage of this type of joint is the stress concentration at the ends of the joint, which directly affect the adhesive. Another disadvantage is the possible difference between the coefficients of thermal expansion of the adherents of the joint. Through compilation and classification of the formulas found in various publications, this study presents a state-of-the-art review of an adhesive single-lap joint that can be used in marine applications. It will consider the types of materials used as the adhesive and as the adherents, the possibility of varying the thicknesses of the adherents and the thickness of the adhesive, and the recommended design factors for each proposed methodology. This study proposes formulas to estimate the stresses for joints with balanced thicknesses and extrapolates the results for non-balanced joints; also, an equation is derived to calculate the minimum overlap joint length for ship lengthening, allowing the design process to be simplified. The results are expected to facilitate the design of single-lap joints in marine applications, such as reinforcing composite panels and lengthening of hulls and superstructures.