• Composites Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.15-22
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• 2006

One of the primary factors limiting the application of composite-metal adhesively bonded joints in structural design is the lack of a good evaluation tool for the interfacial strength to predict the load bearing capacity of boned joints. In this paper composite-steel adhesion strength is evaluated in terms of stress intensity factor and fracture toughness of the interface corner. The load bearing capacity of double lap joints, fabricated by co-cured bonding of composite-steel adherends has been determined using fracture mechanical analysis. Bi-material interface comer stress singularity and its order are presented. Finally stress intensities and fracture toughness of the wedge shape bi-material interface corner are determined. Double lap joint failure locus and its mixed mode crack propagation criterion on $K_1-K_{11}$ plane have been developed by tension tests with different bond lengths.