An Experimental Arrangement to Estimate the Failure Behavior of an Uncrosslinked Polymer Under High Spatial Constraint

Abstract

In the search for the “constitutive behavior” of uncrosslinked and damaged polymers near the failure point we have identified a method for experimentally estimating such behavior. This work involves interferometrically measured displacements in a bonded cantilever-type specimen (DCB specimen). The method as outlined in references 1 and 2, consists basically of determining the displacement profile of the adherend in the region of the interlayer “crack tip”, plus the determination of the relation between the force and displacement at the point of load application on the specimen. The interferometry measurements which allow precise evaluation of displacements are outlined here. In the process of developing a suitable specimen it has been demonstrated that increased pressure in the bond formation process generates superior bond durability including that in a wet environment.