Transferability of Adhesive Fracture Toughness Measurements between Peel and TDCB Test Methods for a Nano-Toughened Epoxy

Our previous work [1] on a nano rubber modified epoxy adhesive suggested that the observed bond thickness effect was due to the level of constraint (σhyd/σeq), a measure of the stress triaxiality, in the adhesive layer. In that study tapered double cantilever beam (TDCB) specimens were tested under quasi-static conditions for a range of bond gap thicknesses. The void diameters on the resulting fracture surfaces were measured from which the fracture strain was estimated in each case. The ratio of fracture strains corresponding to different constraint levels was found to agree with the predictions of the Rice and Tracey model. The current work attempts to further investigate the effects of constraint on adhesive joint fracture. Three experimental test methods are employed (i) the standardised LEFM tapered double cantilever beam (TDCB) test, in which the substrates experiences small elastic deformations, (ii) the fixed arm peel test where the substrate peel arm undergoes extensive plastic deformation and (iii) a recently developed circumferentially deep notched tensile (CDNT) test. Finite Volume simulations of the TDCB and CDNT tests were utilised to examine the role of constraint on the adhesive joint fracture.