Effect of Interface Geometry on Fracture Parameters at Corrugated Interface

Interfaces are ubiquitous in both natural and synthetic structural materials. Materials ultimate performance is often determined by interfacial properties (as a weak link). One aspect that is expected to substantially affect crack propagation at interfaces is interfacial geometry. Several works were devoted to the investigation of surface pretreatment influence on the fracture parameters and adhesive strength [1–4]. They showed substantial effect of interfacial micro- and nano-roughness on fracture toughness. However, the experiments to date were performed on random interfaces and it was often difficult to separate chemical and geometric effects.