Strain localization, cracking and temperature rise in the adhesive layer between tabs and composite material in the fatigue test

Tabs are used to protect the specimen from damage caused by applied grip loads during the test and to reduce stress concentrations. This paper aims at the investigation of strain localization and dissipation of energy in the adhesive layer in the high cycle fatigue test. A soft and thick adhesive layer is useful in the quasistatic test as it reduces the stress concentration. But the temperature rise due to the energy dissipation and the cracking in this layer may lead to erroneous results when advanced techniques such as thermography and acoustic emission are used