Evolution of crack path and fracture surface with degradation in rubber-toughened epoxy adhesive joints: Application to open-faced specimens

The crack path and fracture surface in the mixed-mode fracture of two different rubber-toughened epoxy adhesives were evaluated using double-layered open-faced double cantilever beam (ODCB) specimens in which the primary adhesive layer had been environmentally aged. The crack path in the mixed-mode fracture of unaged ODCB specimens was unexpectedly in the secondary adhesive layer, and several hypotheses were examined to explain this. It was concluded that a reduced residual stress in the secondary adhesive layer produced stable crack growth in the secondary layer instead of the expected path in the primary layer. The average crack path depth, fracture surface roughness and maximum elevation in the fracture surface profiles were then measured using optical profilometry as a function of the degree of aging. The results showed a strong relationship between all these parameters and the critical strain energy release rate, Gcs, irrespective of the type of adhesive. In the case of adhesive A where significant irreversible degradation was observed, all these parameters varied approximately linearly with Gcs. In the case of adhesive B, aging did not result in permanent degradation (Gcs was unchanged) and so all these fracture surface parameters also remained unchanged after aging. The results indicate that quantifying fracture surface parameters as a post-failure analysis can be of use in the estimation of the fracture toughness at which a practical joint fails.

► Unexpected crack paths were observed in the mixed-mode fracture of unaged open-faced double cantilever beam (ODCB) joints.
► Residual stress played an important role in determining the layer in which cracks grew within the ODCB.
► A strong correlation was found between the fracture surface microtopography and fracture energy.