On the determination and application of cod to epoxy-bonded aluminium joints

Abstract

A method of analysis is presented for the determination of crack-opening-displacements (COD) and their application to aluminium—Araldite joint systems. Use is made of a beam-on-elastic-foundation (BEF) model, which is extended to represent the physical system. It is seen that, in conjunction with this, the Dugdale ‘strip-yield’ model solution may be combined to characterize interfacial or cohesive fracture cases. Fracture toughness values, based on both load and displacement control testing conditions, are examined and show that the equation derived for the load-control model yields greater accuracy. Results of the proposed method are compared with those obtained by a two-dimensional, finite-element analysis and are found to be in good agreement. The validity of the proposed analysis is further verified by experimental observations employing conventional compliance methods for both interfacial and cohesive fracture modes.