FE Analyses of a CFRP–Aluminum Single-Lap Hybrid Bonded/Bolted Joint at Different Tensile Loads

Joints are often unavoidable and can be critical points in a complex structure made up of different sub-elements and materials, e.g., a lightweight aircraft structure. Joining can be performed with different techniques as mechanical fasteners, bonding, or hybrid bonded/bolted (HBB) solutions. HBB solutions are effectively used to join different materials, as metals and composites, leading to composite–metal HBB joint. In this paper, the structural behavior of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP)–aluminum single-lap HBB joint is numerically investigated. Specifically, a detailed finite element model (FEM) is developed to study the joint subjected to an external tensile load. Analyses are conducted by considering two different bolt preloads and three external tensile loads (six tests in total). Results are compared with the aim to highlight the behavior of the joint, and in particular the stress–strain state in each component as a consequence of the applied load pair.