Strength assessment of adhesively bonded tile claddings

A simplified analytical approach for the assessment of bonding strength in tiled flooring is formulated and discussed. The approach is conceived for application to a specific type of failure mechanism, usually activated by differential elongation/shortening between tiles and substrate, of the type induced by thermal gradients or fresh concrete maturation. It is discussed how the failure mechanism, promoted by eccentric tile compression, can be studied as a Mode I cohesive crack propagation through the adhesive layer and a closed form estimate of the ultimate tile compression is provided. Based on closed-form solutions for the problem of stress transfer between substrate and tile through shear of the adhesive, simple formulas for the estimation of the tile compression are also derived.