Practical Work of Adhesion of Polymer Coatings Studied by Laser Induced Delamination

Abstract

Laser Induced Delamination is a novel technique aimed at measuring the practical work of adhesion of thin polymer coatings on metal substrates. In this technique a laser pulse is used to create initial blisters which initiate further delamination of the film under the blister pressure. A simple elastic model is developed to describe the formation of the blisters. The model predicts the values for the blister height and pressure, which are in fair agreement with the experimental results. In order to account for possible plastic deformations, simulations using a finite element model with a mixed mode cohesive zone were carried out. The calculated stress fields are in agreement with those predicted by the elastic model suggesting that the contribution of plastic deformation to the measured work of fracture is rather limited.

Measurements are carried out on a number of samples, presenting ECCS steel substrate covered with 35 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. The tensile stresses created in the film at the interface required for delamination are estimated at 7-8 MPa, which corresponds to the practical work of adhesion G = (0.6± 0.1) J/m².