Peeling experiments of ductile thin films along ceramic substrates – Critical assessment of analytical models

Two types of peeling experiments are performed in the present research. One is for the Al film/Al₂O₃ substrate system with an adhesive layer between the film and the substrate. The other one is for the Cu film/Al₂O₃ substrate system without adhesive layer between the film and the substrate, and the Cu films are electroplated onto the Al₂O₃ substrates. For the case with adhesive layer, two kinds of adhesives are selected, which are all the mixtures of epoxy and polyimide with mass ratios 1:1.5 and 1:1, respectively. The relationships between energy release rate, the film thickness and the adhesive layer thickness are measured during the steady-state peeling process. The effects of the adhesive layer on the energy release rate are analyzed. Using the experimental results, several analytical criteria for the steady-state peeling based on the bending model and on the two-dimensional finite element analysis model are critically assessed. Through assessment of analytical models, we find that the cohesive zone criterion based on the beam bend model is suitable for a weak interface strength case and it describes a macroscale fracture process zone case, while the two-dimensional finite element model is effective to both the strong interface and weak interface, and it describes a small-scale fracture process zone case.     

Constraint effects in adhesive joint fracture

Constraint effects in adhesive joint fracture are investigated by modelling the adherents as well as a finite thickness adhesive layer in which a single row of cohesive zone elements representing the fracture process is embedded. Both the adhesive and the adherents are elastic-plastic with strain hardening. The bond toughness Γ (work per unit area) is equal to Γ₀+Γ_p, where Γ₀ is the intrinsic work of fracture associated with the embedded cohesive zone response and Γ_p is the extra contribution to the bond toughness arising from plastic dissipation and stored elastic energy within the adhesive layer. The parameters of the model are identified from experiments on two different adhesives exhibiting very different fracture properties. Most of the tests were performed using the wedge-peel test method for a variety of adhesives, adherents and wedge thicknesses. The model captures the constraint effects resulting from the change in Γ_p: (i) the plastic dissipation increases with increasing bond line thickness in the fully plastic regime and then decreases to reach a constant value for very thick adhesive layers; (ii) the plastic dissipation in the fully plastic regime increases drastically as the thickness of the adherent decreases. Finally, this model is used to assess a simpler approach which consists of simulating the full adhesive layer as a single row of cohesive elements.     

Dislocation shielding of a cohesive crack

Dislocation interaction with a cohesive crack is of increasing importance to computational modelling of crack nucleation/growth and related toughening mechanisms in confined structures and under cyclic fatigue conditions. Here, dislocation shielding of a Dugdale cohesive crack described by a rectangular traction-separation law is studied. The shielding is completely characterized by three non-dimensional parameters representing the effective fracture toughness, the cohesive strength, and the distance between the dislocations and the crack tip. A closed form analytical solution shows that, while the classical singular crack model predicts that a dislocation can shield or anti-shield a crack depending on the sign of its Burgers vector, at low cohesive strengths a dislocation always shields the cohesive crack irrespective of the Burgers vector. A numerical study shows the transition in shielding from the classical solution of Lin and Thomson (1986) in the high strength limit to the solution in the low strength limit. An asymptotic analysis yields an approximate analytical model for the shielding over the full range of cohesive strengths. A discrete dislocation (DD) simulation of a large (>10³) number of edge dislocations interacting with a cohesive crack described by a trapezoidal traction-separation law confirms the transition in shielding, showing that the cohesive crack does behave like a singular crack at very high cohesive strengths (∼7 GPa), but that significant deviations in shielding between singular and cohesive crack predictions arise at cohesive strengths around 1GPa, consistent with the analytic models. Both analytical and numerical studies indicate that an appropriate crack tip model is essential for accurately quantifying dislocation shielding for cohesive strengths in the GPa range.     

On the determination of the cohesive zone properties of an adhesive layer from the analysis of the wedge-peel test

An extensive numerical study of the mechanics of the “wedge-peel test” is performed in order to analyze the mode I steady state debonding of a sandwich structure made of two thin plastically deforming metallic plates bonded with an adhesive. The constitutive response of the metallic plates is modeled by J₂ flow theory, and the behavior of the adhesive layer is represented with a cohesive zone model characterized by a maximum separation stress and the fracture energy. A steady-state finite element code accounting for finite rotation has been developed for the analysis of this problem. Calculations performed with the steady-state formulation are shown to be much faster than simulations involving both crack initiation and propagation within a standard, non-steady-state code. The goal of this study is to relate the measurable parameters of the test to the corresponding fracture process zone characteristics for a representative range of adherent properties and test conditions. An improved beam bending model for the energy release rate is assessed by comparison with the numerical results. Two procedures are proposed for identifying the cohesive zone parameters from experimental measurements.     

断裂过程区应力应变场的数学分析

本文将条状分离区看作是位错连续分布区域,利用复变函数理论及切比雪夫多项式级数展开提出了一种统一的数学分析的方法,用以对均匀材料裂纹前方分离过程区的非线性效应进行有效的,精确的解析分析。避免以前各种模型一般都需要借助于有限元法或其他离散方法才能得到数值解答的难点。本文利用这一新方法,对断裂过程区是内聚力模型,条状屈服区模型的裂纹问题,受约束金属薄膜的裂纹问题,进行了分析计算,并与已有的结果进行了比较,得到了满意的结果。     

A unified treatment of axisymmetric adhesive contact problems using the harmonic potential function method

A unified treatment of axisymmetric adhesive contact problems is provided using the harmonic potential function method for axisymmetric elasticity problems advanced by Green, Keer, Barber and others. The harmonic function adopted in the current analysis is the one that was introduced by Jin et al. (2008) to solve an external crack problem. It is demonstrated that the harmonic potential function method offers a simpler and more consistent way to treat non-adhesive and adhesive contact problems. By using this method and the principle of superposition, a general solution is derived for the adhesive contact problem involving an axisymmetric rigid punch of arbitrary shape and an adhesive interaction force distribution of any profile. This solution provides analytical expressions for all non-zero displacement and stress components on the contact surface, unlike existing ones. In addition, the newly derived solution is able to link existing solutions/models for axisymmetric non-adhesive and adhesive contact problems and to reveal the connections and differences among these solutions/models individually obtained using different methods at various times. Specifically, it is shown that Sneddon’s solution for the axisymmetric punch problem, Boussinesq’s solution for the flat-ended cylindrical punch problem, the Hertz solution for the spherical punch problem, the JKR model, the DMT model, the M-D model, and the M-D-n model can all be explicitly recovered by the current general solution.     

内聚力模型的形状对胶接结构断裂过程的影响

内聚力模型被广泛应用于粘接结构的断裂数值模拟过程中,为深入分析不同形状内聚力模型与胶黏剂性质和粘接结构断裂之间的关系,本文分别采用脆性和延展性两种类型胶黏剂,对其粘接的对接试件进行了单轴拉伸、剪切实验,以及其粘接的双臂梁试件进行了断裂实验.3种类型的内聚力模型(抛物线型、双线型和三线型)分别模拟了以上粘接结构的断裂过程,并与实验结果进行对比.结果发现:双线型的内聚力模型适用计算脆性胶黏剂的拉伸与剪切的断裂过程;指数型内聚力模型较适合计算延展性胶黏剂的拉伸和剪切的断裂过程,临界应力、断裂能和模型的形状参数是分析拉伸和剪切的重要参数;双臂梁试件的断裂过程模拟结果发现,断裂曲线与胶黏剂性质有关,内聚力模型形状参数也有影响.通过实验与计算结果分析,双线型内聚力模型更适合脆性胶黏剂粘接的双臂梁断裂计算,而三线型更适合计算延展性胶黏剂粘接的双臂梁断裂过程,此研究结果对胶黏剂的使用和粘接结构的断裂分析有很重要意义.     

Nonlinear interface shear fracture of end notched flexure specimens

The nonlinear analytical solutions of an end notched flexure adhesive joint or fracture test specimen with identical or dissimilar adherends are investigated. In the current study, a cohesive zone model (with arbitrary nonlinear cohesive laws) based analytical solution is obtained for the interface shear fracture of an end notched flexure (ENF) specimen with sufficiently long bond length. It is found that the scatter and inconsistency in calculating Mode II toughness may be significantly reduced by this model. The present work indicates that the Mode II toughness G_IIc under pure shear cracking condition is indeed very weakly dependent on the initial crack length. And this conclusion is well supported by the experimental results found in the literature. The parametric studies show that the interface shear strength is the most dominant parameter on the critical load. It is also interesting to note that with very short initial crack length and identical interface shear strength, higher Mode II toughness indeed cannot increase the critical load. Unlike the high insensitivity of critical load to the detailed shape of the cohesive law for Mode I peel fracture, the shape of the cohesive law becomes relatively important for the critical load of joints under pure Mode II fracture conditions, especially for joints with short initial crack length. The current study may help researchers deepen the understanding of interface shear fracture and clarify some previous concepts on this fracture mode.     

Fracture mechanical assessment of interface cracks with contact zones in piezoelectric bimaterials under thermoelectromechanical loadings: I. Electrically permeable interface cracks

An electrically permeable interface crack with a frictionless contact zone at the right crack tip between two semi-infinite piezoelectric spaces under the action of a remote electromechanical loading and a temperature flux is considered. Assuming that all fields are independent on the coordinate x₂ co-directed with the crack front, the stresses, the electrical and the temperature fluxes as well as the derivatives of the jumps of the displacements, the electrical potential and the temperature at the interface are presented via a set of analytic functions in the (x₁,x₃)-plane with a cut along the crack. Due to this representation firstly an auxiliary problem concerning the direction of the heat flux permitting a transition from a perfect thermal contact to a separation has been solved for a piezoelectric bimaterial. Besides, an inhomogeneous combined Dirichlet–Riemann boundary value problem has been formulated and solved exactly for the above mentioned interface crack. Stress and electrical displacements intensity factors are found in a clear analytical form which is especially easier for a small contact zone length. A simple equation and a closed form analytical formula for the determination of the real contact zone length have been derived and compared with the associated equation of the classical (oscillating) interface crack model defining the zone of crack faces interpenetration. For a numerical illustration of the obtained results a bimaterial cadmium selenium/glass has been used, and the influence of the heat flux upon the contact zone length and the associated stress intensity factor has been shown.     

A simple cohesive zone model that generates a mode-mixity dependent toughness

A simple, mode-mixity dependent toughness cohesive zone model (MDG_c CZM) is described. This phenomenological cohesive zone model has two elements. Mode I energy dissipation is defined by a traction–separation relationship that depends only on normal separation. Mode II (III) dissipation is generated by shear yielding and slip in the cohesive surface elements that lie in front of the region where mode I separation (softening) occurs. The nature of predictions made by analyses that use the MDG_c CZM is illustrated by considering the classic problem of an elastic layer loaded by rigid grips. This geometry, which models a thin adhesive bond with a long interfacial edge crack, is similar to that which has been used to measure the dependence of interfacial toughness on crack-tip mode-mixity. The calculated effective toughness vs. applied mode-mixity relationships all display a strong dependence on applied mode-mixity with the effective toughness increasing rapidly with the magnitude of the mode-mixity. The calculated relationships also show a pronounced asymmetry with respect to the applied mode-mixity. This dependence is similar to that observed experimentally, and calculated results for a glass/epoxy interface are in good agreement with published data that was generated using a test specimen of the same type as analyzed here.     

Cohesive zone laws for fatigue crack growth: Numerical field projection of the micromechanical damage process in an elasto-plastic medium

Cohesive zone failure models are widely used to simulate fatigue crack propagation under cyclic loading, but the model parameters are phenomenological and are not closely tied to the underlying micromechanics of the problem. In this paper, we will inversely extract the cohesive zone laws for fatigue crack growth in an elasto-plastic ductile solid using a field projection method (FPM), which projects the equivalent tractions and separations at the cohesive crack-tip from field information outside the process zone. In our small-scale yielding model, a single row of discrete voids is deployed directly ahead of a crack in an elasto-plastic medium subjected to cyclic mode I K-field loading. Damage accumulation under cyclic loading is captured by the growth of voids within the micro-voiding zone ahead of the crack, while the evolution of the cohesive zone law representing the micro-voiding zone is inversely extracted via the FPM. We show that the field-projected cohesive zone law captures the essential micromechanisms of fatigue crack growth in the ductile medium: from loading and unloading hysteresis caused by void growth and plastic hardening, to the softening damage locus associated with crack propagation via a void by void growth mechanism. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the FPM in obtaining a micromechanics-based cohesive zone law in-place of phenomenological models, which opens the way for a unified treatment of fatigue crack problems.     

Molecular-dynamics simulation-based cohesive zone representation of intergranular fracture processes in aluminum

A traction-displacement relationship that may be embedded into a cohesive zone model for microscale problems of intergranular fracture is extracted from atomistic molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations. An MD model for crack propagation under steady-state conditions is developed to analyze intergranular fracture along a flat Σ99 [1 1 0] symmetric tilt grain boundary in aluminum. Under hydrostatic tensile load, the simulation reveals asymmetric crack propagation in the two opposite directions along the grain boundary. In one direction, the crack propagates in a brittle manner by cleavage with very little or no dislocation emission, and in the other direction, the propagation is ductile through the mechanism of deformation twinning. This behavior is consistent with the Rice criterion for cleavage vs. dislocation blunting transition at the crack tip. The preference for twinning to dislocation slip is in agreement with the predictions of the Tadmor and Hai criterion. A comparison with finite element calculations shows that while the stress field around the brittle crack tip follows the expected elastic solution for the given boundary conditions of the model, the stress field around the twinning crack tip has a strong plastic contribution. Through the definition of a Cohesive-Zone-Volume-Element—an atomistic analog to a continuum cohesive zone model element—the results from the MD simulation are recast to obtain an average continuum traction-displacement relationship to represent cohesive zone interaction along a characteristic length of the grain boundary interface for the cases of ductile and brittle decohesion.     

Cohesive zone modeling of interfacial stresses in plated beams

The elastic analysis of interfacial stresses in plated beams has been the subject of several investigations. These studies provided both first-order and higher-order solutions for the distributions of interfacial shear and normal stresses close to the plate end in the elastic range. The notable attention devoted to this topic was driven by the need to develop predictive models for plate end debonding mechanisms, as the early models of this type adopted debonding criteria based on interfacial stresses. Currently, approaches based on fracture mechanics are becoming increasingly established. Cohesive zone modeling bridges the gap between the stress- and energy-based approaches. While several cohesive zone analyses of bonded joints subjected to mode-II loading are available, limited studies have been conducted on cohesive zone modeling of interfacial stresses in plated beams. Moreover, the few available studies present complex formulations for which no closed-form solutions can be found. This paper presents an analytical cohesive zone model for the determination of interfacial stresses in plated beams. A first-order analysis is conducted, leading to closed-form solutions for the interfacial shear stresses. The mode-II cohesive law is taken as bilinear, as this simple shape is able to capture the essential properties of the interface. A closed-form expression for the debonding load is proposed, and the comparison between cohesive zone modeling and linear-elastic fracture mechanics predictions is discussed. Analytical predictions are also compared with results of a numerical finite element model where the interface is described with zero-thickness contact elements, using the node-to-segment strategy and incorporating decohesion and contact within a unified framework.     

Coupled mixed-mode cohesive zone modeling of interfacial debonding in simply supported plated beams

The development of predictive models for plate end debonding failures in beams strengthened with thin soffit plates is a topic of great practical relevance. After the early stress-based formulations, fracture mechanics approaches have become increasingly established. More recently, the cohesive zone (CZ) model has been successfully adopted as a bridge between the stress- and fracture mechanics-based treatments. However, the few studies of this nature propose complex formulations which can only be implemented numerically. To date, the only available analytical solution based on CZ modeling for the prediction of interfacial stresses/debonding in plated beams is limited to the determination of interfacial shear stresses and thus neglects the mixed-mode effects generated by the presence of interfacial normal stresses at the plate end. This paper presents a new analytical formulation based on the CZ modeling approach for the prediction of plate end debonding in plated beams. A key enhancement with respect to the previous solution is the use of a coupled mixed-mode CZ model, which enables a full account of mixed-mode effects at the plate end. The model describes the evolution of the interface after the end of the elastic regime, and predicts the value of the load at incipient debonding. The achievement of a closed-form solution for this quite complex case entails the introduction of a crucial simplifying assumption, as well as the ad hoc modeling of an effective cohesive interfacial response. The paper presents the analytical theory and compares its predictions with numerical and experimental results.     

The influence of adhesive constitutive parameters in cohesive zone finite element models of adhesively bonded joints

The influence of adhesive parameters on the outcome of cohesive zone finite element simulations is reported. The simulations are of adhesively bonded joint configurations that are used to characterize joint performance (including the double cantilever beam, the end notch flexure, and the single lap joint). The coupon level experiments are often used individually to determine a single parameter in an adhesive constitutive model (such as a cohesive strength or toughness). In this study, the influence of strength, toughness, and other parameters are considered simultaneously in examining their effect on the finite element (FE) output for each test. In specifying input parameters, the assumed shape of the cohesive traction law is also considered. It is shown that the double cantilever beam model output is dependent primarily on one parameter, whereas the end notch flexure and single lap joint models are dependent on multiple adhesive parameters. By extension, these dependencies require consideration when mapping the results of physical experiments into a set of adhesive model inputs. It is also shown that the shape of the traction law appears insignificant to the outcome of the models. Sensitivities to input parameters are illuminated through kriging analysis of the finite element results; the parameter values are chosen via Latin hypercube sampling. Surrogate models are created and are used to quantify the sensitivities. A mapping technique is described for evaluating the output of physical tests.     

Criteria on the artificial compliance inherent to the intrinsic cohesive zone

This Note presents criteria on the artificial compliance due to intrinsic cohesive zone models. A homogenized model is proposed for a collection of cohesive zones embedded between each mesh of a finite element-type discretization (cohesive-volumetric approach). The overall elastic behavior of this cohesive-volumetric medium is obtained as a function of the local properties and the mesh size. For an isotropic discretization, a criterion on the cohesive stiffnesses is derived: the additional compliance inherent to intrinsic cohesive zone models is bounded by lower value.     

Constitutive behaviour of mixed mode loaded adhesive layer

Mixed mode testing of adhesive layer is performed with the Mixed mode double Cantilever Beam specimen. During the experiments, the specimens are loaded by transversal and/or shear forces; seven different mode mixities are tested. The J-integral is used to evaluate the energy dissipation in the failure process zone. The constitutive behaviour of the adhesive layer is obtained by a so called inverse method and fitting an existing mixed mode cohesive model, which uses a coupled formulation to describe a mode dependent constitutive behaviour. The cohesive parameters are determined by optimizing the parameters of the cohesive model to the experimental data. A comparison is made with the results of two fitting procedures. It is concluded that the constitutive properties are coupled, i.e. the peel and shear stress depend on both the peel and shear deformations. Moreover, the experiments show that the critical deformation in the peel direction is virtually independent of the mode mixity.     

Adhesive contact on power-law graded elastic solids: The JKR–DMT transition using a double-Hertz model

A cohesive zone model of axisymmetric adhesive contact between a rigid sphere and a power-law graded elastic half-space is established by extending the double-Hertz model of Greenwood and Johnson (1998). Closed-form solutions are obtained analytically for the surface stress, deformation fields and equilibrium relations among applied load, indentation depth, inner and outer radii of the cohesive zone, which include the corresponding solutions for homogeneous isotropic materials and the Gibson solid as special cases. These solutions provide a continuous transition between JKR and DMT type contact models through a generalized Tabor parameter μ$\mu$. Our analysis reveals that the magnitude of the pull-off force ranges from (3+k)πRΔγ/2$(3+k)\pi R\mathrm{\Delta }\gamma /2$ to 2πRΔγ$2\pi R\mathrm{\Delta }\gamma$, where k$k$, R$R$ and Δγ$\mathrm{\Delta }\gamma$ denote the gradient exponent of the elastic modulus for the half-space, the radius of the sphere and the work of adhesion, respectively. Interestingly, the pull-off force for the Gibson solid is found to be identically equal to 2πRΔγ,$2\pi R\mathrm{\Delta }\gamma ,$ independent of the corresponding Tabor parameter. The obtained analytical solutions are validated with finite element simulations.     

Analysis of crack growth and crack-tip plasticity in ductile materials using cohesive zone models

Crack initiation and crack growth resistance in elastic plastic materials, dominated by crack-tip plasticity are analyzed with the crack modeled as a cohesive zone. Two different types (exponential and bilinear) of cohesive zone models (CZMs) have been used to represent the mechanical behavior of the cohesive zones. In this work, it is suggested that different forms of CZMs (e.g., exponential, bilinear) are the manifestations of different micromechanisms-based inelastic processes that participate in dissipating energy during the fracture process and each form is specific to each material system. It is postulated that the total energy release rate comprises the plastic dissipation rate in the bounding material and the separation energy rate within the fracture process zone, the latter is determined by CZMs. The total energy release rate then becomes a function of the material properties (e.g., yield strength, strain hardening exponent) and cohesive properties of the fracture process zone (e.g., cohesive strength and cohesive energy), and the form of cohesive zone model (CZM) that determines the rate of energy dissipation in the forward and wake regions of the crack. The effects of material parameters, cohesive zone parameters as well as the form/shape of CZMs in predicting the crack growth resistance and the size of plastic zone (SPZ) surrounding the crack tip are systematically examined. It is found that in addition to the cohesive strength and cohesive energy, the form (shape) of the traction–separation law of CZM plays a very critical role in determining the crack growth resistance (R-curve) of a given material. It is further observed that the shape of the CZM corresponds to inelastic processes active in the forward and wake regions of the crack, and has a profound influence on the R-curve and SPZ.