Competing failure mechanisms in mixed-mode fracture of an adhesively bonded polymer-matrix composite

In this paper, the use of cohesive-zone models to analyze crack-path selection in adhesive joints made from a polymer-matrix composite is demonstrated. Cohesive-zone parameters for the adhesive and composite obtained in a previous work were used without any modifications to make the predictions presented in this study. The results of numerical simulations of two mixed-mode geometries, single-lap shear and asymmetrical double-cantilever beam...