Identification of traction-separation curves for self-adhesive polymeric films based on non-linear theory of beams and digital images of T-peeling

Abstract In this paper, to investigate the influence of variation in some parameters such as adhesive material and thickness, on the adhesive behavior of the self-adhesive polyethylene films, experiments and evaluation procedures were established and utilized. The evaluation model was provided based on the inverse problem of identifying the traction-separation behavior of self-adhesive polymeric films from their deformation configuration during T-peel test (Nase, 2016). Towards this goal, the traction-separation diagrams were extracted from the results of T-peel tests for five different self-adhesive polyethylene films. The peel test procedure was recorded with a microscopic camera, in order to extract the digital images of the deformed shape of the films within the delamination zone. The deformed lines were approximated by polynomial series based on the least square method. The traction-separation curve for each picture was calculated by inserting the polynomial equations in the mechanical evaluation models, based on the Complementary Energy Approach. The obtained traction-separation curves for each material provide several properties, can represent a clear comparison of how each parameter can influence the adhesive properties and delamination behavior. The evaluation procedure can be followed by the graphical abstract of Fig. 1 .