Micromechanics of imperfect interfaces

Abstract

The interface between two materials is usually imperfect. The imperfection is mostly due to the presence of flaws such as microcracks along the interface. This paper reviews the micromechanics of the imperfect interface to provide a better understanding of the various macro behaviours observed from the materials in the macroscale. Finite element analysis was applied on both the micro and macro models to obtain the total strain energy. This analysis was done by utilising a finite element software – ABAQUS. Thereafter, by means of comparison, the effective stiffness was obtained and evaluated to describe the macro behaviours of the simulated models. With the purpose of describing the macro behaviours of the imperfect interface, the various effective crack ratio, boundary conditions and material properties were reviewed in this paper. It was found that the presence of interfacial microcracks will lower the effective stiffness of the interface, which is consistent with past researches. Furthermore, the lowered effective stiffness is revealed to be an indication of the weakening bond of the materials at the interface.