Analysis of an Adhesively Bonded Joint

1. Introduction
This example problem illustrates the use of NEiNastran for a linear static analysis of an adhesive bond line between composite materials. You will learn how to build the model using the NEiNastran Modeler, perform the analysis with NEiNastran, and examine the results with the NEiNastran Modeler. The model that you will construct is a typical lap-shear test specimen and consists of two simple composite strips bonded to create a single lap joint. The goals of the analysis are to accurately estimate the stresses that develop in the adhesive and estimate the deflection of the specimen when loaded. Two different methods of modeling the adhesive will be explored and compared: modeling using high aspect ratio brick elements and modeling using CBUSH elements. The units used in this analysis are inches and pounds. The effects of gravity are not considered in this model.

2. Creating the Model

You will first prepare the model geometry and then define the materials, define the properties of the elements, mesh the geometry, and then apply the constraints and loads. These steps are called preprocessing, and they will be done with the NEiNastran Modeler. Because the plate has uniform thickness, the model is created as a two-dimensional surface. The thickness is added later as a property of the elements into which the surface is divided.

2.1 Creating the Geometry In this step you will enter the coordinates of the corners of the two-dimensional surface that describes the shape of the composite strips and the bond line. Open the NEiNastran Modeler. From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Geometry. Next, choose Surface and then Corners from the menus.

Figure 1. Surface Corners Menu Selection

In the Locate Enter First Corner of Surface dialog box verify that the X, Y, and Z fields contain zeros. Choose OK.

Figure 2. Corner Selection Dialog Box

Another dialog box will appear requesting the second corner of the surface. coordinates for the second corner:

Enter the following

LocateEnter Second Corner of Surface: X =

Y=

Z=

Then, click OK.

For the third and fourth corners:

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LocateEnter Third Corner of Surface:

X=

Y=

Z=

Then, click OK. Then, click OK.

LocateEnter Fourth Corner of Surface:

X=

Y=

Z=

The surface you have drawn will appear off to the right side of your workspace. The Locate Enter First Corner of Surface dialog box will now come up again. Enter the following coordinates for the corresponding corners (if planning to use CBUSH elements to model the adhesive this step is not necessary and you can just click Cancel and skip entering the coordinates):

LocateEnter First Corner of Surface:

X=

Y=

Z = 0.06

Then, click OK. Then, click OK. Then, click OK. Then, click OK.

LocateEnter Second Corner of Surface: X =

Y=

Z = 0.06

LocateEnter Third Corner of Surface:

X=

Y=

Z = 0.06

LocateEnter Fourth Corner of Surface:

X=

Y=

Z = 0.06

Since you will not draw any other surfaces, click Cancel in the Locate Enter First Corner of Surface dialog box that comes up again. To center the image of the surface in your workspace, select View on the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu, then from the menu, choose Autoscale and then Visible. You should have a surface in the workspace that looks like this:

Figure 3. Model Geometry

The rectangles that appear in the surface are not the elements. The elements will be defined in a later section.
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2.2 Defining the Material Properties Here, you will define the physical properties of the material that composes the model. NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Model then choose Material. From the

Figure 4. Material Definition Menu Selection

In the Define Isotropic Material dialog box, make sure that all of your values match the example shown below.

Figure 5. Define Isotropic Material Dialog Box

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In the Define Isotropic Material dialog box, click the Type button in the upper right corner. In the Material Type dialog box, select the radio button next to the Orthotropic (2D) option, and then click OK. Make sure that your material definition looks like the one shown below.

Figure 6. Define 2D Orthotropic Material Dialog Box

Click OK.

Select OK, and select OK again in the Define 2D Orthotropic Material dialog box. The Define Isotropic Material dialog box will appear again expecting you to enter another material. Since there are only two materials in this model, choose Cancel to exit the next material definition.

2.3 Defining the Properties of the Elements In this step, you will define the properties of the laminate elements that will be used in the next step to mesh the composite portions of the model. From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Model then choose Property.

Figure 7. Property Definition Menu Selection

In the Define Property PLATE Element Type dialog box click the Elem/Property Type button. In the Element / Property Type dialog box that appears verify that the Laminate radio button is selected. Click OK. In the Define Property LAMINATE Element Type dialog box, copy in the same values as in Figure 8. Check the box next to Symmetric Layers. This will instruct NEiNastran to treat the elements assigned to this property as 8 layer symmetric laminate plates. The symmetry is about the center of the laminate, so the order of the layer directions is: 0, 90, 45, -45, -45, 45, 90, 0.

Figure 8. Laminate Property Definition Dialog Box

Click OK. In the Define Property LAMINATE Element Type dialog box, click the Elem/Property Type button. Select the radio button next to Solid, and then click OK. The Define Property SOLID Element Type dialog box will appear. Select 1..MA556 from the Material drop down menu. Enter Adhesive MA556 in the title field, and then click OK. The Define Property SOLID Element Type dialog box will appear again; click the Elem/Property Type button. Select the radio button next to Spring, then click the Formulation button. In the dialog box that appears, select 1..CBUSH from the pull down menu, then click OK. Click OK in the Element / Property Type dialog box. Type Internal MA556 CBUSH in the Title field and use the following property definition:

Figure 9. Internal CBUSH Property Definition Dialog Box

Click OK. Enter Edge MA556 CBUSH in the Title field and use the following property definition:

Figure 10. Edge CBUSH Property Definition Dialog Box

Click OK. Enter Corner MA556 CBUSH in the Title field and use the following property definition:

Figure 11. Corner CBUSH Property Definition Dialog Box

Click OK, then click Cancel. The data for the CBUSH spring properties was calculated from the equations shown in Table 1. For more details, see Appendix A.

Table 1. Properties of Bonding Agent with Respect to Element Location

Location Internal nodes Edge nodes Corner nodes X-Direction Stiffness Y-Direction Stiffness Z-Direction Stiffness

GA t GA K sX ( edge ) = 2t GA K sX ( corn .) = 4t K sX (int .) =

GA t GA K sY ( edge ) = 2t GA K sY ( corn.) = 4t K sY (int .) =

K nZ (int .) =

2G (1 + ) A t E (1 ) A K nZ ( edge ) = (1 2 2 )2t EA K nZ ( corn.) = (1 2 )4t

2.4 Meshing the Model In the first part of this step, you will divide the first of the composite strips into 40 elements along its length and 10 elements along its width. The thickness of the plate requires only one element when using shell elements. First, rotate your model so that you can see all of the curves that define the two surfaces, as shown below (if you are using CBUSH elements to model the adhesive, any and all references to the small, square surface, can be ignored because it is not needed).
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Figure 12. Rotated Model Geometry

From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Mesh then choose Mesh Control and Size Along Curve.

Figure 13. Mesh Control Size Along Curve Menu Selection

The Entity Selection Select Curve(s) to Set Mesh Size dialog box appears. With your mouse, point to the long top curve of the surface in the workspace and left click. Do the same with the long bottom curve. Select OK. The Mesh Size Along Curves dialog box appears. In the Mesh Size box enter 40 for the Number of Elements. The Mesh Size Along Curves dialog box should appear as illustrated below in Figure 14.

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Figure 14. Mesh Size Along Curves for Model Long Edges

Select OK. The Entity Selection Select Curve(s) to Set Mesh Size dialog box appears again. Now, point to the short left curve and click to select. Then, point to and click to select all of the other short curves. Click OK. In the Mesh Size Along Curves dialog box, enter 10 for the Number of Elements.

Figure 15. Mesh Size Along Curves for Model Short Edges

Select OK in the Mesh Size Along Curves dialog box. Select Cancel in the Entity Selection Select Curve(s) to Set Mesh Size dialog box. From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Mesh then choose Geometry and Surface.

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Figure 16. Mesh Surface Menu Selection

The Entity Selection Select Surfaces to Mesh dialog box appears. With your mouse, point to and left click the large surface in the model (point anywhere in the rectangle). Select OK in the Entity Selection Select Surfaces to Mesh dialog box. The Automesh Surfaces dialog box appears. Click the down arrow in the Property box and select 1..Q4800 Double Ply. The next step is to create the other piece of composite. From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Mesh, and then choose Copy and Element. In the Entity Selection Select Element(s) to Copy dialog box, click on the Method ^ button and select On Surface. Click on the large, rectangle surface to select it, and then click OK. Click OK in the Generation Options box. Enter the following coordinates in the Vector Locate Select Vector to Copy Along dialog box:

Figure 17. Vector Locate Dialog Box

Click OK.
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From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select View, then Autoscale and Visible. From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select View, and then Redraw. Your model should appear re-sized and centered in your window.

2.4.1 Modeling the Adhesive with Solid Elements If you are modeling the adhesive with CBUSH elements, skip to Section 2.4.2. Again, from the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Mesh, then choose Geometry and Surface. The Entity Selection Select Surfaces to Mesh dialog box appears. With your mouse, point to and left click the small surface in the model. Select OK in the Entity Selection Select Surfaces to Mesh dialog box. In the Automesh Surfaces dialog box, select the text in the Property text box/menu and delete it. Click OK. Another box will pop up asking you if it is ok to mesh with plot-only elements, click Yes. To see your model rendered as a solid instead of wire-frame, click on the icon at the top of the screen that looks like a solid cube, and then select Solid.

Figure 18. Solid Render Button Selection

To create the solid elements that will mimic the adhesive, you will extrude the plot-planar elements 0.06 inches in the negative Z-direction. From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Mesh, and then choose Extrude and Element. In the Entity Selection Select Element(s) to Extrude dialog box, click on the Method ^ button and select On Surface. Click on the small, square surface to select it, and then click OK. In the Generation Options dialog box, select 2..Adhesive MA556 from the Property drop-down menu. Enter 4 in the Elements Along Length box. Check the box next to Delete Original Elements, and then click OK. Enter the following coordinates in the Vector Locate Select Vector to Extrude Along dialog box:

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Figure 19. Vector Locate Dialog Box

Click OK. The Confirm Delete dialog box will come up. Click OK to confirm the deletion of your original 100 plot-only elements.

2.4.2 Modeling the Adhesive with CBUSH Elements Complete this section ONLY if you are modeling the adhesive with CBUSH elements. If you have already created solid elements to model the adhesive, skip this section. From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select View, then choose Rotate, and Model.... Click the ZX Front button, and then click OK. From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Mesh, then choose Connection, and Closest Link. In the Entity Selection Select Nodes to Generate From dialog box, click the Pick ^ button and select Box. Box pick the 11 right-most rows of node on the bottom mesh as shown below, then click OK.

Figure 20. Bottom Nodes for CBUSH Selection

In the Entity Selection Select Nodes to Generate To dialog box, click the Pick ^ button and select Box. Box pick the 11 left-most rows of nodes on the top mesh as shown below, and then click OK.

Figure 21. Top Nodes for CBUSH Selection

In the Generate Connection Options dialog box, select 3..Internal MA556 CBUSH from the Property drop-down menu, then click OK. Enter the values shown in Figure 22 in the Vector Locate Define Element Orientation Vector dialog box, then click OK.

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Figure 22. Vector Locate Dialog Box

Now, from the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select View, then choose Rotate and Model.... Click the XY Top button, and then click OK. Click the Rotate X button twice. Click the Mag Up (the magnifying glass with a plus sign in it) button until you can see the entire CBUSH region clearly.

Figure 23. Rotate X Button Selection

From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Modify, then choose Update Elements, and Property ID. When the Entity Selection Select Elements to Update Property dialog box appears, click on the Pick ^ button and select Box. Right Click anywhere in the model window and select Pick All Inside. This will instruct the NEiNastran Modeler to pick only those elements that are completely inside the picking box. Box-pick only the outside edges of the CBUSH mesh that was just generated. These need different stiffness properties than those on the interior. The correct selection is shown below.

Figure 24. Outside Edge CBUSH Selection

When all of the edge CBUSH elements have been selected, click OK. In the Select Property for Update dialog box, select 4..Edge MA556 CBUSH then click OK.
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From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Modify, then choose Update Elements, and Property ID. When the Entity Selection Select Elements to Update Property dialog box appears, select the four corner CBUSH elements, as shown below, and then click OK.

Figure 25. Corner CBUSH Selection

In the Select Property for Update dialog box, select 5..Corner MA556 CBUSH then click OK.

2.5 Set Element Orientation Angles Now we must define the element orientation angles for the laminate elements. This is an important step because it tells NEiNastran which way a 0 degree ply is oriented, and it is from this specified direction that the other ply angles are measured. From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Modify, then Update Elements and Material Angle. In the Entity Selection Select Planar or Axisym Element(s) to Update Angle dialog box, click the Method ^ button and select Property. Click one of the planar, composite elements (choose one away from the adhesive elements to avoid picking the wrong one) and click OK. In the Element Material Orientation dialog box, select the radio button next to Coordinate direction and make sure the other selections/settings are the same as below.

Figure 26. Element Material Orientation Direction

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Click OK. The last step is to merge all of the coincident nodes and make the entire model into one single piece (only needed for solid adhesive modeling). From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Tools then Check and Coincident Nodes. In the Entity Selection Select Node(s) to Check dialog box, click the Select All button, and then click OK. In the Check/Merge Coincident dialog box, check the box next to Merge Coincident Entities, and then click OK. To make the model look less cluttered, you may wish to turn off geometry. To do this, press Ctrl+Q and the View Quick Options dialog box appears. Click the Geometry Off button, then click Done.

Figure 27. View Quick Options Dialog Box

2.6 Applying the Constraints The extreme left and right areas of the specimen must be constrained to simulate the grips of the tensile test machine. The left end will be completely fixed and the right end will be constrained so that it can only move in the X-direction. From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select View, then choose Rotate and Model.... Click the XY Top button, and then click OK. From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Model, then choose Constraint and Nodal. The Create or Activate Constraint Set dialog box appears. In the Title field type: Machine Grip Constraints.

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Figure 28. Create or Activate Constraint Set Dialog Box

Select OK. The Entity Selection Enter Node(s) to Select dialog box appears. Click the Pick ^ button, and then choose Box. Select all of the nodes within an inch of the edge, as shown below.

Figure 29. Nodal Selection for Fixed Constraint

Select OK. The Create Nodal Constraints/DOF dialog box opens. Click on the Fixed button, then click OK. The small triangles with the numbers 123456 below them signify that the nodes are fixed. When the Entity Selection Enter Node(s) to Select dialog box appears again, use the box picking feature to select the nodes within an inch of the right side. Check the boxes next to TY, TZ, RX, RY, and RZ. Click OK.

Click OK. Your model should appear as shown in Figure 30.

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Figure 30. Meshed Model with All Constraints

When the Entity Selection Enter Node(s) to Select dialog box appears again, click Cancel. Now, turn off the drawing of the constraints by pressing Ctrl+Q to access the View Quick Options dialog box, then uncheck the box next to Constraint. Click Done.

2.7 Applying the Load From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select Model then choose Load and Nodal. Enter 167lb. Tensile Force in the Title field of the Create or Activate Load Set dialog box.

Figure 31. Create or Activate Load Set Dialog Box

Select OK. The Entity Selection Enter Node(s) to Select dialog box appears. Using the box picking method, select all of the nodes within an inch of the right end of the specimen. Click OK. It should print 121 Nodes Selected on the bottom left side of your screen. (If you have selected the wrong number of nodes, click Cancel, then select Model, choose Load and Nodal and try node selection again.) When the Create Loads on Nodes dialog box appears, make sure Force is selected on the left hand side of the dialog box, and input 1.380165 in the Value field next to FX, in the Load section of the dialog box. The number 1.380165 is equivalent to 167lb. / 121 nodes; therefore, when 121 nodes are loaded with 1.380165lb., the total force is 167lb. Click OK.

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Figure 32. Create Load Dialog Box

When the Entity Selection Enter Node(s) to Select dialog box appears again, click Cancel. Your model should now appear like this:

Figure 33. Model with Loads (Constraints Hidden)

Note the many load arrows on the right. To save your file select File from the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu and then choose Save As. Enter the file name, Adhesive Tutorial, navigate to your working directory, and click Save.

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3. Running the Analysis

From the NEiNastran Modeler Main Menu select File then choose Analyze. When the Export Method dialog box opens, click the Manually Create Analysis Model button. When the Export To window appears, make sure it is the same as below, then click OK.

Figure 34. Analysis Model Export Options

When the Write Model To Nastran dialog box opens, type the file name Adhesive Tutorial Solid or Adhesive Tutorial CBUSH, depending on which model you are using. Navigate to your home directory and click Write. The NASTRAN Analysis Control dialog box appears.

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Figure 35. NASTRAN Analysis Control Dialog Box

In the NASTRAN Analysis Control dialog box make sure it appears as above, then, click OK. The NEiNastran Editor will open and analysis data from its current operation may begin to scroll in the Analysis view. If the NEiNastran Editor doesnt open automatically, open it manually and open the Adhesive Tutorial.NAS file that was created a few steps earlier. From the NEiNastran Editor Main Menu, select Analysis and then Run. Analysis data will scroll in the Analysis view. When the NEiNastran Termination Status window pops up, click Continue. Exit the NEiNastran Editor if it was not done automatically.

4. Post-Processing the Model

In this section, you will use NEiNastran Modeler to view the analysis results graphically. You will instruct NEiNastran Modeler to present the stresses in a color contour plot so that the peak stress and its location can be identified. The colors in the contour plot show the stress level at each location in the model. The deformation of the specimen under the load is represented by the deformation of the model in the plot. The deformation shown by default is extremely exaggerated to give the user a clear view of what is going on; the actual deformation is much smaller than what is shown. If you previously opened NEiNastran Editor manually, you will have to import the results file before you can do any effective Post-Processing. If the NEiNastran Editor started up automatically for the analysis stage, you can ignore the rest of this paragraph. From the NEiNastran Modeler main menu, select File then Import and finally Analysis Results. In the Import Results From dialog box, make sure the NASTRAN radio button is checked and that NEiNastran appears in the pull down menu area, and then click OK. The Read Model From NEiNastran window appears and asks you which file to read from. Locate the file called Adhesive Tutorial SOLID.FNO or Adhesive Tutorial CBUSH.FNO (depending on which model you are using) and click on it. Click Open. Now you are ready for Post-Processing. Press F5 to bring up the View Select dialog box. Click the Quick Hidden Line radio button in the Model Style box. Click the Deform radio button in the Deformed Style box. This will show the deformation of the model in the contour plot. Click the Contour radio button in the Contour Style box. This will activate the color contour plot. Verify that all other selections are as illustrated below.
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Figure 36. View Select Dialog Box

Click the Deformed and Contour Data button. The Select PostProcessing Data dialog box opens. The Output Set should be 1..SUBC 1, NEiNASTRAN. The Deformation setting within the Output Vectors box should be 2..T1 TRANSLATION. The Contour setting within the Output Vectors box should be 60032..SOLID OCTAHEDRAL. (For the CBUSH model, the SOLID options will not be there because no solid elements exist; contour options will only include those for the composite lay-up portion of the model.)

Figure 37. Select PostProcessing Data Dialog Box

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Click OK. Click OK again. If you havent done so already, clean up the view to make it easier to see by turning off the constraint and load visualizations. Press Ctrl+Q and when the View Quick Options dialog box appears, click the All Entities Off button, then check the box next to Element in the Mesh section. Click Done. Your model should now look like the one shown in Figure 38 (rotation of the model may be required).

Figure 38. Deformed and Contoured Model (Solid Octahedral)

This contour plot shows the location(s) of the highest von Mises stress regions that developed in the model due to the pressure loading. The deformation is, again, exaggerated for clarity. To plot the contour of the deformation on the model, press F5 to bring up the View Select dialog box. Click the Deformed and Contour Data button and the Select PostProcessing Data dialog box opens. The Output Set should be 1..SUBC 1, NEiNASTRAN. The Deformation setting within the Output Vectors box should be 2..T1 TRANSLATION. The Contour setting within the Output Vectors box should be 2..T1 TRANSLATION. You should be able to see that the maximum total displacement within the SOLID model is 0.0045 in, and the maximum displacement within the CBUSH model is 0.0045 in.

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Figure 39. Deformed and Contoured SOLID Model (T1 <X-direction> Translation)

Figure 40. Deformed and Contoured CBUSH Model (T1 <X-direction> Translation)
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Appendix A
(Information courtesy of Rosselli Engineering Group www.rengineering.com)

The spring element properties must be defined in the X, Y and Z-directions. For the purpose of this tutorial, the X and Y-axes are located in the plane of the adhesive, and the Z-axis is determined by the right-hand-rule (through thickness properties).

Table 2. Stiffness Components for the Bonding Agent with Respect to Element Location Location Internal points Edge points Corner points X-Direction Stiffness KsX (int.) KsX (edge) KsX (corn.) Y-Direction Stiffness KsY (int.) KsY (edge) KsY (corn.) Z-Direction Stiffness KpZ (int.) KpZ (edge) KpZ (corn.)

These nine stiffness constants are also necessary when using cylindrical or spherical coordinate systems. The spring constants are determined form various equations that associate the mechanical properties to the shear and peel components. For this case, the shear components are in the X and Y-directions, and since they are in the same plane, they are equal. The out-of-plane (through thickness) component, Zdirection, is considered as the normal stress component (peel component) and has a different formulation. Lets initially consider the X-Y plane, where the shear stress properties are equal. The in-plane spring stiffness is determined by Equation 1.

Ks =

GAe t

Eq. 1

where G is the shear modulus of the adhesive, Ae is the effective element area, and t is the bondline thickness. The most important variable in this case is the element effective area. The element effective area is different for the location of the adhesive element definition for the particular node. To define the adhesive element for a node located within the bondline, Ae is equal to the surface area of the element. Table 3 gives a summary of the effective area of each element for each particular location.

Table 3. Effective Area for Spring Property with Respect to Element Location Location Internal nodes Edge nodes Corner nodes Effective Area, (Ae) [length x length] A A A NOTE: A = area of element

In summary, from the information generated in Tables 2 and 3 and Equation 1, the in-plane (X-Y) spring constants are calculated by the equations presented in Table 4.
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Table 4. In-plane Stiffness Properties for the Bonding Agent with Respect to Element Location Location Internal nodes Edge nodes Corner nodes X-Direction Stiffness Y-Direction Stiffness

GA t GA K sX ( edge ) = 2t GA K sX ( corn .) = 4t K sX (int .) =

K sY (int .) =

GA t GA K sY ( edge ) = 2t GA K sY ( corn.) = 4t

Now consider the out-of-plane spring stiffness. In this case, we must consider the normal stress component acting on the adhesive. From derivation of the fundamental stress-strain equations, the result is Equation 2..

Kn =

Ee Ae t

Eq. 2

where Kn is the spring stiffness of the bonding agent in the normal direction, Ee is the effective tensile Young's modulus of the adhesive, Ae is the effective area of the element with respect to the spring element location and t is the thickness of the bonding agent. To define the adhesive element for a node located within the bondline, Ae is equal to the surface area of the element. Refer back to Table 3 that gives a summary of the effective area of each element for each particular location. The effective Youngs Modulus must also be evaluated by adhesive element location. Table 5 gives a summary for each out-of-plane component. A simple spreadsheet can be created to calculate these properties.

Table 5. Out-of-plane Stiffness Properties for the Bonding Agent with Respect to Element Location Location Internal nodes Edge nodes Corner nodes Z-Direction Stiffness

2G (1 + ) A t E (1 ) A K nZ ( edge ) = (1 2 2 )2t EA K nZ ( corn.) = (1 2 )4t K nZ (int .) =

Note: E is the tensile modulus of the adhesive, G is the shear modulus, t is the adhesive bondline thickness, and is Poisson's ratio.

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