Determination of Toughness Variation and Cohesive Zone Parameters for De-bonding of Adhesively Bonded PMMA and Steel Using the Shaft-loaded Blister Test

ABSTRACT

In this work, the shaft-loaded blister test (SLBT) is employed to investigate the de-bonding of a poly-metha-methyl-acrylate (PMMA) layer adhesively bonded to a steel layer. During de-bonding, the mode-mixity does not remain constant in this test; hence, the variation of mode-mixity with the change in de-bond size (blister radius) and the out-of-plane displacement of the PMMA layer is established through Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Experiments are performed in which the load, load-point displacement, and de-bond size is recorded synchronously. Three different thicknesses of PMMA layer are considered in experiments. The variation in toughness as a function of mode-mixity is evaluated. FE simulations with embedded cohesive zone model (CZM) are carried out, and the mixed-mode cohesive zone modelling parameters are identified by comparing the numerical results with experimental observations. By using this approach, the toughness variation as a function of mode-mixity and the CZM parameters is determined using the SLBT.

KEYWORDS:

• Blister test
• cohesive zone model
• mode-mixity
• energy release rate

Acknowledgments

The financial support from Department of Science and Technology through project No: DST/IMRCD/BRICS/PilotCall2/FDDLC/2018(G) is gratefully acknowledged.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India [DST/IMRCD/BRICS/PilotCall2/FDDLC/2018(G)].