A method for predicting the curing residual stress for CFRP/Al adhesive single-lap joints

The purpose of this paper is to present a prediction model of the curing residual stress for carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) and aluminum (Al) adhesive single-lap joints. Based on the lamination theory and formation mechanism of the curing residual stress of composite structures, we have found that high curing temperature in joints will lead to a significant increase of the residual stress. In the CFRP/Al stacks, residual tensile stresses are found in the Al and glue layer, while compressive stresses in CFRP. Meanwhile, the residual stress in glue layer is smaller than that in the Al and CFRP. More comparisons are made among the prediction, finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental tests to prove the efficiently and validity of the predicting model.