A review will be given of three fracture mechanics based tests that have been developed recently to measure GC, the fracture toughness, of adhesive joints. The first two are variations on the double cantilever beam test where the two arms are bonded together and then pulled apart in elastic bending to give fracture. Uniform thickness beams are used for composites and metals and give a decreasing load – displacement relationship for propagation. Tapered beams give constant loads and are useful as constant G tests. These tests have been evaluated in a Round-Robin series of tests and standard protocols produced by TC4 of ESIS (European Structural Integrity Society). An outline of the test procedures and their analyses will be given.

When thin substrates are bonded together the debonding process results in large deformations as the arms are peeled apart. This gives a very simple test, particularly when used in the T-peel configuration. In most cases the arms deform plastically and the measured adhesive toughness contains a plastic work component. This must be determined to find the true adhesive energy. A description of the peel test procedure and the analysis necessary to effect these corrections will be given.
 
Der Vortrag wird in englischer Sprache gehalten.
Leiterin EMPA Akademie
Dr. Anne Satir