Frewer Engineering has recently been implementing more advanced bonded joint Finite Element Modelling techniques.
This methodology, originally developed by NASA, utilises rigid element and spring type elements. Although the company had the capability to simulate bonded joints and recover stresses and strains in the past, this methodology adds more fidelity to complex bonded joint arrangements by considering element areas, shear and tensile moduli, and thicknesses of the bonded joint, which can be used to calculate spring constant inputs. Then, during post-processing, detailed forces can be recovered from the elements, leading to more accurate stress and strain interpretations at the joint. The main benefit of this is more accurate displacement and stress behaviour, leading to a better represented simulation, which in turn leads to more reliable adhesive stresses.
For more details, visit their website: https://frewer-engineering.com/project/composites