Chemical kinetic model of interfacial degradation of adhesive joints

Abstract

Mechanical properties of adhesive joints is degraded in the presence of water. The progressive decrease in strength has been attributed to propagation of interfacial crack. Water diffusion and stress distribution within joint as a function of time is modeled using finite element in this study. The stress history at the interface displayed spatially invariant characteristics similar to that of interfacial water concentration history as a function of diffusion. The water-stress history along the interface can be modeled as a function dependent principal on water concentration and is independent of position. On this basis, a chemical kinetic model is proposed to explain the joint strength degradation data reported in literature