Dissimilar material joints with and without free-edge stress singularities: Part II. An integrated numerical analysis

Numerical investigations were conducted on plane and axisymmetric convex joints of polycarbonate-aluminum and poly(methyl methacrylate)-aluminum interfaces to gain a better understanding of the stress state along the interface and also to aid an experimental study conducted on the same issue. Two-dimensional plane-stress investigations of convex joints revealed the successful elimination of the free-edge stress singularities along the specimen width although stress singularities, along the thickness direction, persisted. A convex axisymmetric design, with the same material combination and joining angles, proves to be a better design in order to achieve an overall elimination of free-edge stress singularities of dissimilar materials and structures.