Abstract
Initiation and propagation of interfacial crack along bimaterial interface are considered in this study. A biaxial loading device for a single specimen is used for obtaining a wide range of mode-mixities. The specimen is an edge-cracked bimaterial strip of glass and epoxy; the biaxial loading device, being capable of controlling displacements in two perpendicular directions, is developed. A series of interfacial crack initiation and Propagation experiments are conducted using the biaxial loading device for various mixed modes. Normal crack opening displacement (NCOD) is measured near crack front by a crack opening interferometry and used for extracting fracture parameters. From mixed mode interfacial crack initiation experiments, large increase in toughness with shear components is observed. The behavior of interfacial crack propagation analyzed as a function of mode-mix shows that initial crack propagation is delayed with increase of mode-mixity, and its velocity is increased with positive mode-mixity but decreased with negative case. However, it is found that crack propagation is less accelerated with positive mode-mixity than the negative mode-mixity, which may be caused by contact and/or effects of friction between far field and near-tip Held along the interfacial crack.