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Time to failure analysis of wood adhesives:
A non-linear approach based on chemical reaction kinetics

J.W.G. van de Kuilen 1,2, G. Clerc 3, Y. Mosleh 2, W.F. Gard 2, K. Richter 4

1 Wood Technology, Timber Research Munich, School of Engineering and Design, TU Munich, Germany
2 Timber and Biobased Structures and Materials, Dept. Engineering Structures, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
3 Swiss Wood Solutions AG, Altdorf, Switzerland
4 Wood Science, Timber Research Munich, School of Life Sciences, TU Munich, Germany

Similar to wood, adhesives may exhibit duration of load effects. When loaded for longer periods of time, damage processes in the material may develop, eventually leading to failure. From wood research it is known that load level, temperature and relative humidity have an important influence on this behaviour. In general, higher stress levels, temperatures, and moisture content will lead to shorter times to failure and these effects may be more pronounced in loading directions such as shear or tension perpendicular to the grain. It is shown that the reaction kinetics based approach for damage accumulation effects in polyurethane based adhesives can be described using the same non-linear damage accumulation expression as used for wood. The relationship between the time to failure and load-level as influenced by for instance temperature is determined for lap joints, immersed in hot water with temperature of 60oC and 90oC, and at load levels varying between 30 and 90% of the mean short term shear strength.

It is shown that a non-linear damage accumulation expression as used for wood, can also be used for damage accumulation effects in melamine-urea-formaldehyde adhesives. The relationship between the time to failure and load-level as influenced by temperature is determined for beech lap joints loaded in tensile shear. The specimens have been immersed in hot water with temperatures of 60oC and 90oC respectively, and at load levels varying between 30 and 90% of the mean short term shear strength.