Silva, J.O.S.Campilho, R.D.S.G.Rocha, R.J.B.Silva, F.J.G.2020-04-292020-04-292019http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/15913Several adhesive joint configurations are available, namely butt joints, single-lap joints (SLJ), double-lap joints and scarf joints. Stepped-lap joints, which are not so studied, consist of a finite number of steps in the bonded area, possessing stress concentrations at all step edges instead of only at the bonded length edges. Stepped-lap joints increase the maximum load (Pm) over SLJ. The present study experimentally and numerically evaluates the static tensile strength of SLJ and stepped-lap joints bonded with the moderately ductile adhesive Araldite® 2015, considering varying values of overlap length (LO). A Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis was carried out to compare through-thickness normal (σy) and shear (τxy) stresses in the bondline between joint configurations. Additionally, a Cohesive Zone Modelling (CZM) analysis was considered to study the failure modes and to evaluate the CZM technique’s accuracy. Between SLJ and stepped-lap joints, the improved stress distributions of the stepped-lap joints resulted in higher joint performance, especially for higher LO. The CZM model revealed to be accurate in predicting Pm.engAdhesive jointsStepped-lap jointFinite Element AnalysisCohesive Zone ModelsStress analysisjournal article10.1016/j.promfg.2020.01.209