Mainly due to their low weight, low cost and ease of assembly, the adhesive bonds have emerged as a promising technology. However, the lack of adequate tools of design and control remain an obstacle to the use of the adhesives. In this work a cohesive interface model formulated within the framework of damage mechanics is applied for the simulation of decohesion during crack propagation tests. Considering the mechanical tests of aluminium/epoxy specimens, comparisons between experimental and numerical results are presented.
bonded joints; cohesive-zone model; crack propagation tests
