New and Improved Tests for Adhesion

Three new methods are discussed for measuring the work Ga , required to detach unit area of an adhering material from a substrate. The first is a simple modification of the Outwater double-torsion test for long rectangular plates, bonded together. This method is suitable for evaluating aluminum-epoxy bonds, for example, or the transverse strength of fibrous composites. The second is a pull-off test for long strips adhering to a rigid surface. It seems suitable for adhesive tapes and laminates. The third is a reconsideration of the “blister” test for films and coatings, in which a circular debond at the interface is made to grow by internal pressure. The relation obtained between pull-off force F for a strip, or blow-off pressure P for a layer, takes the unusual form: F4 (or P4 ) ∞ KG 3 a where K is the tensile stiffness of the detaching layer. This dependence arises from the non-linear (cubic) relation between load or pressure and deflection in these configurations. Nevertheless, the product Fθ, where θ is the angle of detachment of a strip, or Py, where y is the height of a “blister”, give direct measures of the strength of adhesion Ga , independent of the stiffness of the adhering material and of the extent of detachment.