| Abstract: | The main aim of this article is to investigate the effect of frequency on fatigue crack propagation in adhesively bonded joints. Adhesively bonded double-cantilever beam (DCB) samples were tested in fatigue at various frequencies between 0.1 and 10 Hz. The adhesive used was a toughened epoxy, and the substrates used were a carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and mild steel. Results showed that the crack growth per cycle increases and the fatigue threshold decreases as the test frequency decreases. The locus of failure with the CFRP adherends was predominantly in the adhesive layer, whereas the locus of failure with the steel adherends was in the interfacial region between the steel and the adhesive. The crack growth was faster, for a given strain energy release rate, and the fatigue thresholds lower for the samples with steel adherends. Tests with variable frequency loading were also carried out, and a generalised method of predicting crack growth in samples subjected to a variable frequency loading was introduced. The predicted crack growth using this method agreed well with experimental results. |
