An experimental investigation of the stability of peeling for adhesive tapes

A fundamental question of interest in peeling is the stability of the debonding process. A new experimental configuration has been developed to investigate the stability of the peeling process of elastic tapes. The experimental method allows for independent variation of the applied load and stiffness of the system. The role of various parameters including the stiffness of the loading system and geometry of the tape on the stability of peeling is investigated. The change in stiffness can be tuned to trigger or delay the onset of instability. Theoretical stability criteria are used to develop insights into the role of various experimentally varied parameters on the stability of the peeling process.