Abstract

Adhesion was studied in asymmetric bonded joints using fracture mechanics tests. The asymmetric bonded joints consist of two different type and/or thickness materials bonded by an adhesive. Mentions of asymmetric bonded joint tests employed so far are rare in the literature. They are imperfect and therefore are not standardized. Accordingly three new tests were introduced in this work to study bonded joints. The new metrological routines and models were built for the CRT (Constant Rate Test), CFT (Constant Force Test) and the CDT (Constant Displacement Test). The routines were validated with the new Artificial Crack Tip test developed in this thesis. Different bonded systems were examined: the adhesives - epoxy, cyanoacrylate, acrylic mastic, PSA; the bonded adherends - aluminium alloys, CFRP composites and polycarbonate. The results obtained in the new tests are very promising in terms of the accuracy and continuous observation of crack kinetics. In addition it was found that the novel strain gauge technique, introduced in the CDT, test allows precise joint monitoring when the adhesive is in a metastable state and a precise estimation of process zone. Another interesting achievement of this work was describing the phenomenon of double crack curvature in the vicinity of the strong and weak adhesion transition zone. The next achievement was derivation of the strain energy release rate from the elastic foundation model, which gives better understanding of the mechanics and the measurements behind adhesive bonding. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) studies were made of the bonded substrates to estimate the surface treatment effects. The stress state in asymmetric geometry was studied using finite element analysis (FEA), which explained the formation of the curved crack front and the origin of river patterns. The new tests developed in this study appear promising since they offer accurate and reliable results for the materials tested.

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