Cohesieveend

Cohesieveend is a term encountered in some Dutch-language discussions of fracture mechanics and materials science. It refers to the boundary of the cohesive zone, the region near a crack tip where internal bonds are stressed and damage accumulates. The term is not widely standardized in English-language literature, where the concept is usually called the end of the cohesive zone or cohesive‑zone boundary.

In the framework of the cohesive zone model, a crack propagates as the material ahead of the crack tip experiences traction according to a traction–separation law. The cohesive zone has a finite length, and cohesieveend denotes the moving boundary where traction vanishes and separation proceeds with little or no cohesive resistance.

Determination of cohesieveend can be done with numerical simulations by locating where the traction drops to zero or where a damage variable reaches its limiting value. Experimental approaches use techniques such as digital image correlation or advanced spectroscopy to map strain fields and infer the location of the boundary in real materials.

Applications of the concept include predicting delamination and debonding in composites, laminates, and adhesive joints. Understanding cohesieveend helps in material design by controlling cohesion, toughness, and the progression of fracture.

See also: cohesive zone model; fracture mechanics; adhesion; delamination; surface energy; traction–separation law.