Predictive modeling of damage and failure in adhesively bonded metallic joints using cohesive interface elements

A rate-dependent constitutive law for cohesive interface elements is introduced for the adhesive considering both, the rate dependency of the initiation stress and the rate dependency of the fracture toughness. The model is calibrated with experimental data available from the literature and validated against novel quasi-static and dynamic experimental results on an adhesively bonded T-joint made from high strength steel DP-K 30/50 and crash-optimized adhesive BETAMATE 1496V. The numerical predictions show an excellent correlation with the experimental results.