Previous chapters have mainly concerned the elastic behaviour of composites. Among the assumptions made in most of these treatments is that the interfacial bond is ‘perfect’. This means that there is no local plasticity, debonding, cracking or sliding – in fact, no elastic or inelastic processes of any description. In practice, such phenomena may take place at or close to the interface, depending on its structure and the stresses generated there. These processes can influence the onset and nature of subsequent failure. Before treating the strength and fracture of composites (Chapters 8 and 9), it is helpful to consider the interface region in detail and examine how its response can be characterised and influenced. The meaning and measurement of bond strength are therefore outlined here. This is followed by information about the formation of interfacial bonding in various systems and the scope for its control.
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