Effect of Bond Thickness on the Fracture Toughness of Adhesive Joints

The effect of bond thickness on the fracture toughness of adhesive joints was investigated from a microstructural perspective, using compact tension (CT) adhesive-joint specimens with different bond thicknesses. The adhesive material was a rubber-modified epoxy resin with 12.5 wt% carboxy-terminated butadiene acrylonitrile (CTBN) elastomer. The shapes of the rubber particles dispersed in adhesive layers of damaged and undamaged specimens were observed with an optical microscope. The damage was distributed along the interfaces between the adhesive layer and the two adherends. The results show that the primary causes of variations in the fracture toughness of an adhesive joint with the bond thickness are not only a damage zone around a crack tip but also the combination of a damage zone around a crack tip and additional damage zones along the interfaces.