Boundary effect on fracture energy of polymeric adhesives

Polymer-based adhesives are extensively used to make assemblies in many industries such as aerospace and automobile industries. These polymeric adhesive bonds are often weaker than the adherends in an adhered structure, and as a result, the failure of these adhesives is often main reason for the structural instability. Therefore, the fracture properties of the adhesives are critical for the design and maintenance of these adhered structures, and have attracted increasing attention.