Finite element analysis of stress and strain distributions in mortise and loose tenon furniture joints

We studied the effect of loose tenon dimensions on stress and strain distributions in T-shaped mortise and loose tenon (M&LT) furniture joints under uniaxial bending loads, and determined the effects of loose tenon length (30, 45, 60, and 90 mm) and loose tenon thickness (6 and 8 mm) on bending moment capacity of M&LT joints constructed with polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) adhesive. Stress and strain distributions in joint elements were then estimated for each joint using ANSYS finite element (FE) software. The bending moment capacity of joints increased significantly with thickness and length of the tenon. Based on the FE analysis results, under uniaxial bending, the highest shear stress values were obtained in the middle parts of the tenon, while the highest shear elastic strain values were estimated in glue lines between the tenon surfaces and walls of the mortise. Shear stress and shear elastic strain values in joint elements generally increased with tenon dimensions and corresponding bending moment capacities. There was consistency between predicted maximum shear stress values and failure modes of the joints.