A simple characterization methodology for the identification of the visco-elastic behavior of thermoset adhesives during cure

The identification of the mechanical behavior of adhesives is necessary to describe the development of residual stresses during their curing, which might impact their mechanical strength and lead to early failure of the bonding. A simple characterization and modeling approach is therefore developed and presented, which permits to monitor and identify the mechanical behavior of a thermosetting adhesive during the whole curing process. The test method is based on a compressive test, which consists in applying a periodic displacement and recording the subsequent load variations during cure. The test set-up relies on a simple apparatus as it consists in steel cylinders mounted on a standard tensile test machine. The analysis of the mechanical behavior is based on an analytical description of a visco-elastic constitutive law following the Maxwell model, leading to the identification of the material apparent viscosity and Young’s modulus. This characterization methodology is applied to an epoxy adhesive during cure. The obtained mechanical properties are in good agreement with values provided by the material supplier, which permits to validate the developed methodology.