Viscoelastic crack healing and adhesion

Closing cracks in viscoelastic materials are analyzed using a cohesive zone model. The analysis is relevant to the bonding of surfaces of viscoelastic materials, and in particular to the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) experime nt. A crack bonding theory due to Schapery is extended to include the case of the standard linear solid material, and some consequences of this materi al's finite long time compliance are illustrated. The stress field behind a steadily closing crack in a standard linear solid is also investigated in detail. Finally, a method for applying Schapery's crack bonding theory to t he analysis of a JKR-type experiment involving viscoelastic cylinders is gi ven explicitly. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [SS0021-8979(99)015 20-0].