Effect of Substrate Compliance on Measuring Delamination Properties of Elastic Thin Foil

Through the analysis of a model problem, a thin elastic plate bonded to an elastic foundation, we address several issues related to the miniature bulge test for measuring the energy-release rate associated with the interfacial fracture of a bimaterial system, where one of the constituents is a thin foil. These issues include the effect of the substrate compliance on the interpretation of the energy release rate, interfacial strength, and the identification of the boundary of the deforming bulge or the location of the interfacial crack front. The analysis also suggests a way for measuring the so-called foundation modulus, which characterizes the property of the substrate. An experimental example, a stainless steel thin foil bonded to an aluminum substrate through hot-isostatic-pressing (HIP), is used to illustrate and highlight some of the conclusions of the model analysis.