Analysis of the resistance of adhesively bonded joints with rigid-flexible substrates

Hydrogen, as an energy source, appears as a valid alternative to traditional fossil resources and supports the required reduction of CO2 emissions. The most recent hyperbaric tanks built for hydrogen storage (type IV) are made of composite material. For the manufacturing of these tanks, an adhesive layer is being used to join the flexible internal polymeric core, the liner, with the external composite shell. This work aims to study the strength of the liner-composite joint using the Floating Roller Peel (FRP) test. To this purpose, finite element analyses of the peeling process are carried out using the cohesive model. In order to establish a framework for the investigation of the joint properties as a function of manufacturing parameters (e.g., adhesive type and surface preparation), this paper describes a potential procedure that can be used for the identification of joint properties.