Journal of Adhesion, Vol.80, No.7, 601-612, 2004
Modeling the peel performance of pressure-sensitive adhesives
This article presents an approach to analyzing the peel behavior of pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) using the finite element method. The rheological properties and the peel strength of four natural-rubber-based PSAs were experimentally measured to provide input for and comparison with the finite element modeling. A criterion based on stored elastic energy density was used to describe the interfacial debonding. It was shown that the finite element predictions essentially captured the general features of the peel behavior of the PSAs. However, the peel forces predicted were lower than the experimental measurements at intermediate and high peel rates. This might be related to the fact that the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of the PSAs at large deformation was not considered in this study.
Keywords:pressure-sensitive adhesive;peel;interfacial debonding;rheology;viscoelasticity;finite element modeling