Hiroyuki Oguma

Fracture toughness of adherends bonded with two-part acrylic-based adhesive: double cantilever beam tests under static loading

Adhesives are used in various industries to bond materials. The failure criteria of adhesive joints are based on the strength (peel) and fracture mechanisms of the materials. It is important to investigate these criteria in relation to the propagation and separation of Mode I, II, and III cracks. The purpose of this study is to use double cantilever beam (DCB) tests to measure fracture toughness in aluminum alloy (5052-H34), glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene matrix composite, and carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy matrix composite adherends bonded with a two-part acrylic-based adhesive. The fracture behaviors of the specimens are also discussed. DCB tests are carried out to measure fracture toughness under Mode I loading of adhesively bonded joints with different types of adherends. The fracture toughnesses of the aluminum alloy, glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene matrix composite (GF/PP), and carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy matrix composite (CF/EP) specimens are 1071, 1438, and 1652 Jm−2, respectively. The fracture surfaces of the aluminum alloy, GF/PP, and CF/EP specimens are observed to be of the interfacial, adherend, and cohesive types, respectively.