An Inverse Analysis of Interfacial Parameter Values for Mode I Debonding Between Steel and Hot-Melt Adhesive

A polyethylene pipe reinforced with winding steel wires (PSP) is a new composite pipe in which steel wires are effectively bonded with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) through hot-melt adhesive, ensuring the mechanical properties and structural integrity of the pipe. One of the main failure modes at the PSP joint is the interfacial debonding between the steel wire and the hot-melt adhesive. To find a good method to overcome this debonding failure mode, the first priority is to be able to quantitatively characterize the interface performance. Thus, in this study, double cantilever beam (DCB) tests are used to investigate the interfacial properties between steel and hot-melt adhesive, and a finite element model with cohesive element representing the adhesive interface is established to analyze the interfacial properties and the interfacial failure process. However, the interfacial parameters, including interface strength and fracture energy, cannot be obtained directly; thus, based on the inverse optimization calculation concept, an ABAQUS-Python-MATLAB interactive program is developed to continuously optimize and adjust the key parameters of the interface during iterative calculations so that the load-displacement simulation curve is close to the experimental curve, thereby determining the solution set of interface strength and fracture energy. With the inversion parameters substituted into the DCB model, the simulated reaction force-displacement curve is obtained, and it is consistent with the experimental one. Furthermore, this paper compares the pattern of simulated crack tip propagation during the loading process with the experimental results, and it is found that the simulated curve agrees well with the trends of the experimental ones. This proves the effectiveness of the DCB finite element model and the inversion calculation method from a new perspective, indicating that the simulation results of the DCB model were consistent with the experiment. This method can provide guidance and reference for the mechanical behavior analysis of the bonding interface of other materials or structures.