A modified creep model of epoxy adhesive at ambient temperature

The paper presents the results of experimental investigations of the creep behavior of epoxy adhesive-hardened samples. The determined creep characteristics for an assumed range of tensile stresses show that the rheological effects in the examined adhesive have already occurred very distinctly at room temperature, for a relatively short time; moreover, the examined adhesive is a nonlinear viscoelastic medium and does not obey the Boltzmann's superposition principle. The obtained results of experimental investigations were subjected to detailed analysis and mathematical treatments. As a result of these actions, the so-called modified Burgers model has been finally developed for the studied adhesive with a constant modulus of elasticity for the non-relaxing part (describing the instant elastic strain) and variables, dependent on the tensile stress, the parameter values for its relaxing part (describing non-linearly viscoelastic properties of this adhesive). The creep deformations calculated for this model have demonstrated a very good consistency with the results of experimental investigations over the assumed range of stresses and the duration time of measurements.