Finite Element Modeling of Double Lap Wood Joints

A general finite element model of a structural wood/adhesive connection was developed in this study and experimentally verified using a white light speckle technique. A bond link approach was developed and investigated to represent the adhesive connection. A comparison of the stress distributions obtained with the model and those recorded experimentally revealed very closé agreement between the two techniques. Because the assumptions and results of the finite element model were verified with experimental evidence, it could be used to determine any number of geometric and material properties. In this study, the model was used to determine the influence of varying the overlap length on the distribution of normal and shear stresses. For the wood adherends used in this study, it was found that the distribution of stress was non-uniform but became more uniform with increasing overlapped regions.