Structural analysis of adhesive joints using meshless methods

Resumo

Adhesive bonding is a joining method that presents several advantages in comparison to other commonly used techniques, such as bolting or riveting. One notable advantage is the relative lightweight nature of adhesive joints, which holds significant relevance in the pursuit of more efficient transportation vehicles. It is well-known that lighter vehicles consume less energy, making this a desirable characteristic. Given the growing interest in adhesive joints, it becomes crucial to thoroughly investigate their behaviour under various conditions. Currently, the literature contains several documents describing the structural behaviour of adhesive joints, with
numerous research numerical studies using as numerical discretization method the finite element method (FEM). However, other mature advanced discretization techniques are also available to the computational mechanic’s research community, such as meshless methods. This work proposes to show several numerical applications of adhesive joints using meshless methods. Static and dynamic demanding examples are addressed, and the results are compared with solutions obtained with the FEM. The results show the efficiency of meshless methods, proving that such discretization techniques are valid alternatives to the FEM. Additionally, this work provides valuable insights and knowledge that are currently lacking, ultimately enhancing our understanding of adhesive joints and
their behaviour under static and varying dynamic conditions.