Assessment of debond simulation and cohesive zone length in a bonded composite joint

Finite element methods combined with cohesive elements were used to simulate progressive failure behaviour in a bonded double cantilever beam configuration. The introduced cohesive zone was represented by three cases. Responses of both global load–displacement and local cohesive traction–separation were investigated. An unexpected finding was that the overall cohesive traction stiffness was much less than the assumed input value. In addition,...