On the determination of constitutive properties of adhesive layers loaded in shear – an inverse solution.

A method to determine constitutive properties of thin adhesive layers loaded in shear is presented. The test specimen consists of two adherends joined by the adhesive layer. By loading the specimen antisymmetrically with respect to the adhesive layer a state of pure shear is ensured. To avoid instability the test specimen is designed to give a non-uniform stress distribution in the adhesive layer. This is achieved by using a long specimen loaded at one side. The method is based on an exact inverse solution which is derived utilizing the balance of the energetic forces of the applied loads and of the adhesive at the start of the adhesive layer. The method is intended for determination of both hardening and softening behaviour of adhesives but is confined to monotonic loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]