Scanning Electron Microscopic Studies on the Failure of Rubber-to-Metal Bonded Composites

Scanning electron microscopic studies were conducted to evaluate the failure mechanism of rubber-to-metal bonded composites in the 90° peel test (ASTM D 429-B). It was found that when cohesive failure in rubber takes place, the composites, failing by stick-slip mode, show high peel strength. Moreover, in such cases, there exists a linear correlation between the peel strength and the crosslink density of the rubber vulcanizate.