The debonding capability refers specifically to separation of bonded contact. It can be used to simulate interface delamination where the interface is modeled using bonded contact with the augmented Lagrangian method or the pure penalty method. A cohesive zone material must be used to define the traction separation behavior of the interface. The following contact elements support debonding: CONTA172, CONTA174, CONTA175, and CONTA177.
An alternative method of modeling interface delamination is to use interface elements with a cohesive zone material (see Crack-Initiation and -Growth Simulation, Interface Delamination, and Fatigue Crack-Growth). However, debonding with contact elements has the following advantages over delamination with the interface elements:
Parts forming the interface can be meshed independently.
Existing models with contact definitions can be easily modified for debonding.
Standard contact and debonding can be simulated with the same contact definitions.
Debonding can be used for various applications (for example, delamination, spot weld failure, and stitch failure).