A micromechanical model of a hard interface with micro-cracking damage

Bonding techniques are increasingly used in many industrial fields. Modeling the under-load damaging behavior of hard structural adhesives is still an open challenge. This work proposes a new hard interface analytical model with evolutive micro-cracking damage. The model is obtained within a rigorous theoretical framework combining asymptotic theory and micromechanical homogenization. Main new features are: (i) the adoption of two dual homogenization approaches; (ii) the formulation of a thermodynamically-based damage evolution law for hard interfaces. The interface model is able to describe both ductile and brittle damage behavior of hard structural adhesives. Provided examples on the structural behavior, under several loads, suggest the suitability of the proposed interface model as a modeling strategy for hard structural adhesives with micro-cracking damage.