Abstract
The bondline thickness is a crucial parameter affecting the strength and toughness of adhesive joints. This parameter is responsible for the stress distribution, and thus, the efficiency of the stress transfer between the adherends, the failure modes, and the correspondent failure loads. However, the available literature reports different trends and relationships during testing between the thickness and strength, or thickness and toughness. In this chapter, the effect of adhesive thickness on the mechanical properties of adhesive joints is explored using the fracture mechanics framework. Two testing cases are discussed in detail: (i) soft bondlines joining rigid adherends, that is, butt joint and single end notch testing specimens, and (ii) rigid bondlines joining flexible adherends, that is, double cantilever beam geometry. These cases represent two extremes in terms of where the energy is stored while testing: in the first one, the energy is stored in the adhesive while in the second, the energy is stored in the adherends. From this discussion, the bondline thickness emerges as a critical geometrical parameter dictating transition between the two extreme cases. A single theoretical framework is provided that merges the two cases and is used to disclose the recently obtained experimental results.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.