This study investigated the accumulation of damage in periodic, engineered disbond arrays and its effect on the shear strength and failure mode of single lap joints. The impact of surface contamination on shear strength was also analyzed. Experimental results showed that surface contamination had a significant negative impact on shear strength, with a reduction of up to 98% in specimens with 100% contamination. The use of a disbond stripe resulted in a slight reduction of only 3.89% in shear strength. However, no progressive accumulation of damage in bonds was observed in the current set of experiments. Further investigation is required to examine the relationship between crack mode and design configuration. This study highlights the importance of addressing these factors in the design and analysis of bonded structures to ensure their lifetime and durability.
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