The main rules pertaining to the strength of adhesive joints are: (1) This strength is a mechanical (or rheological) property. The local stress which causes the extension of a pre-existing crack can be determined only if the stress pattern in the whole adhint is known and the intensification of stress at flaws is taken into account. (2) The rupture occurs in a material, not between two materials. Consequently, the molecular forces across the adhesive-adherend interface are irrelevant, and the “adhesion tension” does not determine the adhint strength.
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J. J. Bikerman (1972) studied this question.