Fracture mechanics approach to facesheet delamination in honeycomb: measurement of energy release rate of the adhesive bond

Two types of experiments were designed and performed to evaluate the adhesive bond in honeycomb sandwich panels. The tensile bond strength between the facesheet and the core was determined through the flatwise tension test. The fracture toughness of the bond line was measured through the double cantilever beam test. Fracture toughness values varied for different facesheet thicknesses and core materials. Toughness was also different for the bag and tool sides of the panels for all specimen types.