Measuring the critical energy release rate in mode II of tough, structural adhesive joints using the tapered end-notched flexure (TENF) test

This paper shows and discusses results of the Tapered End-Notched Flexure (TENF) test, investigating the fracture behaviour of high-strength structural adhesive joints under shear loading. The TENF test has been previously applied to brittle joints by different authors and has been re-designed to be applicable to ductile adhesives in the presented work. Furthermore, the tests are performed at two velocities, a quasi-static and a dynamic one, to investigate rate effects on the fracture behaviour of the joint. All experimental work has been performed using the structural adhesive DOW Betamate 1496V.