Experimental study of the out-of-plane dynamic behaviour of adhesively bonded composite joints using split Hopkinson pressure bars

The effect of the strain rate on the mechanical behavior and the damage of adhesively bonded joints is one of the most important factors to consider in designing them. Vast research has been carried out on the dynamic behaviour of adhesives at different strain rates; however, the investigation about the dynamic behaviour of the adhesively bonded joints is limited. In this paper, the main objective is to study and assess the effect of the strain rate on the out-of-plane mechanical behaviour of adhesively bonded joints under dynamic compression using Hopkinson bars. These joints are studied using glass/vinylester composite materials which are commonly used in naval applications. The experimantal results have shown a strong material sensitivity to strain rates. Moreover, damage investigations have revealed that the failure mainly occurred in the adhesive/adherent interface because of the brittle nature of the polymeric adhesive. Results have shown good agreement with the dependency of the dynamic parameters on strain rates.