A method to predict failure of adhesive joints is described. The fracture criterion is based on material-induced singularities that appear at the terminus of the joint. The criterion can be interpreted physically in terms of the elastic strain energy density. The criterion is formulated in terms of a singular intensity factor Q that is analogous to the stress intensity factor for the case when cracks are present. The strengths of the singularities are dependent on the elastic properties of the adhesive and the adherends and on the geometry of the bond terminus, but are postulated to be independent of loading and global geometry.

The Mechanics of Adhesion shows that adhesion science and technology is inherently an interdisciplinary field, requiring fundamental understanding of mechanics, surfaces, and materials. This volume comprises 19 chapters. Starting with a background and introduction to stress transfer principles; fracture mechanics and singularities; and an energy approach to debonding, the volume continues with analysis of structural lap and butt joint configurations. It then continues with discussions of test methods for strength and constitutive properties; fracture; peel; coatings, the case of adhesion to a single substrate; elastomeric adhesives such as sealants. The role of mechanics in determining the locus of failure in bonded joints is discussed, followed by a chapter on rheology relevant to adhesives and sealants. Pressure sensitive adhesive performance; the principles of tack and tack measurements; and contact mechanics relevant to wetting and surface energy measurements are then covered. The volume concludes with sections on fibermatrix bonding and reinforcement; durability considerations for adhesive bonds; ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation of adhesive bonds; and design of adhesive bonds from a strength perspective. This book will be of interest to practitioners in the fields of engineering and to those with an interest in adhesion science.

Modelling Damage, Fatigue and Failure of Composite Materials provides the latest research on the field of composite materials, an area that has attracted a wealth of research, with significant interest in the areas of damage, fatigue, and failure. The book is a comprehensive source of physics-based models for the analysis of progressive and critical failure phenomena in composite materials, and focuses on materials modeling, while also reviewing treatments to give the reader thorough direction for analyzing failure in composite structures. Part one of the book reviews the damage development in composite materials such as generic damage and damage accumulation in textile composites and under multiaxial loading, while part two focuses on the modeling of failure mechanisms in composite materials with attention given to fibre/matrix cracking and debonding, compression failure, and delamination fracture. Final sections examine the modeling of damage and materials response in composite materials, including micro-level and multi-scale approaches, the failure analysis of composite materials and joints, and the applications of predictive failure models. Examines current research in modeling damage, fatigue, and failure of composite materials Provides a comprehensive source of physics-based models for the analysis of progressive and critical failure phenomena in composite materials Assesses the failure and life prediction in composite materials Discusses the applications of predictive failure models such as computational approaches to failure analysis