This paper presents a combined numerical and experimental study of com
pliance rate change of Tapered Double Cantilever Beam (TDCB) specimens
for Mode-I fracture of hybrid interface bonds. The easily machinable
TDCB specimen, which is designed to achieve a constant rate of complia
nce change with respect to crack length, is developed for Mode-I fract
ure tests of hybrid material bonded interfaces, such as wood bonded to
fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composite. The linearity of compliance
crack-length relationship of the specimen is verified by both Rayleig
h-Ritz method and finite element analysis. An experimental compliance
calibration program for specimens with wood-wood and FRP-FRP bonded in
terfaces is carried out, and a constant rate change of compliance with
respect to crack length is obtained for a specific range of crack len
gth. Fracture tests are further performed using TDCB specimens for woo
d-wood and wood-FRP bonded interfaces to determine the critical loads
for crack initiation and crack arrest, and using the constant complian
ce rate change of the specimens determined by experiment or analysis,
the respective critical strain energy release rates, or fracture energ
ies, are obtained. This study indicates that the constant compliance r
ate change obtained from experiment or finite element analysis for lin
ear-slope TDCB specimens can be used with confidence for fracture stud
ies of hybrid material interface bonds. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.
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