Use of cohesive zone models to design automotive bonded joints

Cohesive-zone models have been widely used for the analysis of interface debonding. In this paper, three of these models are used to study a set of debonding problems. A comparative analysis of the three models is carried out; results are presented and discussed for numerical simulations referring to both single-mode and mixed-mode situations. The results show that the differences between the load-deflection curves obtained for the three models considered, become more evident by increasing the stiffness of the specimen. Considering that the most common joint configuration in automotive industry is the lap-shear joint, the main conclusion of this work is that the joint stiffness will not affect the computational response obtained with the three different models studied here