Fatigue crack growth identification in bonded joints by using carbon nanotube doped adhesive films

An investigation on fatigue crack growth monitoring of bonded joints has been conducted employing a novel carbon nanotube adhesive film, chosen for their proven exceptional properties for sensing purposes. Single lap shear fatigue tests have been carried out at a 7 kN load, load ratio 0.1 and 10 Hz frequency. A correlation between the electrical response of the adhesive joints and the fatigue crack growth has been established by means of voltage acquisition through the thickness in combination with crack length monitoring by microscopy analysis. Three phases can be distinguished during the fatigue tests: phase one without crack initiation with a steady electrical response; phase two in which cracks start propagating, with a slight increase of the electrical resistance, and phase three, corresponding to final propagation to failure with a drastic increase of the electrical resistance. A correlation between the electrical response, the estimated crack area and the measured edge-crack size is achieved, allowing to get a deeper understanding of crack growth phenomenon as a function of the number of cycles. Thus, the potential and the applicability of the proposed technique for monitoring crack growth in lap joint fatigue tests have been demonstrated.