Experimental and numerical investigations of mixed mode crack growth resistance of a ductile adhesive joint

Polymeric adhesive joints are extensively employed in various industrial and technological applications. It has been observed that in ductile adhesive joints, interface fracture is a common mode of failure which may involve stable crack propagation followed by catastrophic growth. The objectives of this paper are to investigate the effects of bondline thickness and mode mixity on the steady state energy release rate J(ss) of such a joint. To this end, a combined experimental and numerical investigation of interfacial crack growth is carried out using a modified compact tension shear specimen involving two aluminium plates bonded by a thin ductile adhesive layer. A cohesive zone model along with a simple traction versus separation law is employed in the finite element simulations of crack growth. It is observed that J(ss) increases strongly as mode II loading is approached. Also, it enhances with bondline thickness in the above limit. These trends are rationalized by examining the plastic zones obtained from the numerical simulations. The numerically generated J(ss) values are found to agree well with the corresponding experimental results. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.