Experimental evaluation of the Wyoming-modified two-rail shear test method for composite materials

In-plane unidirectional shear properties of carbon/epoxy and glass/epoxy materials were measured using unidirectional and cross-ply specimens utilizing the Wyomingmodified two-rail shear test fixture. Simple test specimens of trapezoidal and rectangular geometries, and specimens with tabs were tested. Various specimen sspect ratios were also considered. Untabbed unidirectional specimens exhibited premature shear failures but cross-ply specimens produced reasonably reliable results with acceptable failure modes. Both bonded tab and integral tab 0° specimens were found to give comparable results. Unidirectional and cross-ply PEEK specimens, and angle-ply and quasi-isotropic AS4/3501-6 specimens, were also tested.     

In-plane shear testing of graphite-woven fabric composites

The losipescu shear test method was used to determine the in-plane shear response of AS4 and Celion carbon fiber/epoxy fabric composite materials. Several weave architectures were studied: AS4 uniweave, AS4 and Celion plain weaves, Celion 5-harness and 8-harness satin weaves. Specimens were tested using traditional strain gage techniques and full-field moiré interferometry. A full-node localized hybrid analysis is introduced to perform efficient reduction of moiré data, producing whole-field strain distributions in the specimen test section. It was found that the fabric yarn size greatly influenced the uniformity of the shear field in the specimen test section. However, consistent shear moduli still can be obtained using the modified losipescu specimen and Wyoming fixture except for fabrics with large fiber yarns.     

Experimental strain analysis of the losipescu shear test specimen

An experimental strain analysis of the losipescu shear test specimen was performed, utilizing a 20-ply AS4/3501-6 carbon/epoxy unidirectional composite. Using three-element strain-gage rosettes, it was shown that the presence of loading-point-induced transverse normal strains in the gage section do not affect the measured shear strain. Thus, the shear modulus determined using the standard notch specimen is not affected. Likewise, modulus determination is not influenced by cracking at the notch tips, since this occurs at strains beyond the range over which modulus is determined. To further evaluate the effect of notch-tip cracking, material was removed adjacent to the standard V-notches where these cracks initiate. The measured shear strength was unaffected by removing this material, although the shear modulus was reduced slightly (by as much as eight percent for the more grossly exaggerated geometries). E.Q. Lewis, former graduate student, is now Engineer, Lockheed Corporation.     

Experimental and analytical investigation of the modified wyoming shear-test fixture

The interaction between the isopescu shear-test specimen and the modified Wyoming shear-test fixture was investigated. This involved three areas of study. First, strip strain gages were applied to the specimen contact surfaces to measure strains induced by the fixture. While it has generally been assumed that the fixture induces an asymmetric load into the specimen, the measured strains indicated a nonasymmetric loading. Second, the effect of an out-of-plane moment, externally applied to the fixture, on gage section shear strains was observed. The shear strains observed were small leading to the conclusion that the fixture is very resistant to out-of-plane moments. Finally, the effect of fixture misalignment on the observed shear modulus was determined. The results indicate that the observed shear modulus increased significantly for slight amounts of misalignment. Therefore, experimental techniques should be modified to include a check for misalignment. Beyond this, it is suggested that the fixture design be modified to prevent misalignment and to achieve an asymmetric loading of the specimen.     

A New Shear-Compression-Specimen for Determining Quasistatic and Dynamic Polymer Properties

A new design of the shear compression specimen (SCS) for investigating the viscoelastic shear response of polymers is presented. The specimen consists of a polymer gage section with two metal ends that remain essentially rigid during deformation. Two closed-form analytic models are developed to predict the average stress and strain in the gage section from the deformation-load histories. This new SCS design and its analytic models are thoroughly evaluated via laboratory measurements and numerical simulations. These simulations show that the deformations in the gage section are more uniform than in the original design, and the distribution of the average shear stress and strain are highly homogenous. The simulation results yield good agreement with those of closed-form analytic results and the experiments demonstrate that the new SCS geometry and its analytic models are as reliable as other commonly employed specimens. It can also generate higher strain rates under usual loading conditions because of its smaller specimen gage length. The need for care in specimen preparation is also discussed in detail as illuminated by the experimental and simulation results.

Ten-deg off-axis test for shear properties in fiber composites

A combined theoretical and experimental investigation was conducted to assess the suitability of the 10-deg off-axis tensile-test specimen for the intralaminar-shear characterization of unidirectional composites. Composite mechanics, a combined-stress failure criterion and a finiteelement analysis were used to determine theoretically the stress-strain variation across the specimen width and the relative stress and strain magnitudes at the 10-deg plane. Strain gages were used to measure the strain variation across the specimen width at specimen midlength and near the end tabs. Specimens from Mod-I/epoxy. T-300/epoxy, and S-glass/epoxy were used in the experimental program. It was found that the 10-deg off-axis tensile-test specimen is suitable for intralaminar-shear characterization and it, is recommended that it should be considered as a possible standard test specimen for such a characterization.     

一种用于金属薄板轴向拉压疲劳试验的防弯夹具

在金属薄板的轴向疲劳S-N曲线测试中,研究将一种侧向防弯曲夹具应用于存在压向载荷的试验。通过粘贴应变片方法测量试样的表面应力,对试样的受力情况做了定量的分析。测量结果表明试样安装防弯曲夹具后,基本消除了由压缩失稳产生的弯曲应力。且通过对不同拧紧方式的测量,表明一定的夹紧力下不对试验力产生影响。试验夹具设计成对试样中心轴线的支撑而让边缘疲劳敏感部位处在非接触状态,试样断口表明疲劳起源在这些并没有与试样接解的部位。用钛和铝两种材料的薄板在不同试验机上进行了不同寿命和频率的试验,试验结果与正应力比试验同时给出以对比,各种研究表明本试验有效解决了薄板疲劳受压时的失稳问题。     

压入实验界面端奇异性研究

纤维压入实验是复合材料界面剪切强度细观实验方法之一,其试件通常由复合材料中切割下来制备而成,从中选取单根纤维,进行压入试验,所以被选中的纤维可看成是被纤维和纯基本材料构成的横观各向同性复合材料所包裹。本文以此为依据,建立了横观各向同性复合材料基体包裹各向同性纤维的轴对称模型,采用逐次渐近等求解方法,得到了求解该模型界面端应力奇异性指数的特征方程,并计算了碳纤维／环氧树脂、碳纤维／铝和碳纤维／Al2O3压入试件界面端奇异性随碳纤维体积百分含量的变化情况。     

Composite specimen bearing failure reduction in iosipescu shear tests

ASTM losipescu sheart test fixtures often crush the loaded edges of high shear strength specimens before shear failure occurs between the notches. To alleviate this problem, two new shear test fixtures were designed and built. The first uses a pivoting load surface to track the specimen shape as it changes under load. The second uses a rounded load surface optimized to produce a uniform bearing pressure along the loaded edge of a quasi-isotropic sheet-molding compound (SMC) specimen at shear failure. Finite element analyses and strain gage data are presented that describe the behavior of the baseline ASTM, pivoting load surface and rounded load surface fixtures. A substantial reduction in bearing stress and edge crushing was obtained with the rounded load surface fixture. Additionally, the modified surface optimized to test SMC specimens showed no tendency to change the shear strength measured in other composite specimens.     

Thermal residual stresses in thick graphite/epoxy composite laminates—Uniaxial approach

Thermal residual stresses have been known to be very large in laminates of continuous-fiber-reinforced polymer composites. When the thickness of the laminate is large, however, the measurement of the residual stresses raises questions on the accuracy of the conventional methods. A novel concept of layer separation is developed to measure quantitatively and precisely the tensile residual stresses in thick plates with layered distribution of residual stresses. It is applied to thick [O₂/9O₄]_13s, AS/3501-6 graphite/epoxy laminates. The test specimens were mechanically modeled into the thin strips for the application of the new concept of layer separation. The tensile residual stresses measured in the 90-deg layers of these laminates are nonuniform throughout the specimen, and vary from 55.6 MPa to 71.4 MPa. It is very interesting to compare these values with the transverse strengthF ₂ ^tu of AS/3501-6 unidirectional composites, which is 65.4 MPa.     

An investigation of the losipescu and asymmetrical four-point bend tests

The Iosipescu shear test, utilizing a notched specimen in bending and a modification—the asymmetrical four-point bend (AFPB) test—were evaluated as shear tests for composites. This paper summarizes the results of an extensive numerical and experimental investigation of the Iosipescu and AFPB test methods. Finite-element analyses were conducted to assess the influence of notch parameters and load locations on the stress state in the specimen. The shear moduli and the shear strengths were experimentally measured for a quasiisotropic graphite/epoxy laminate using both the Iosipescu and the AFPB test methods. The tests were conducted for various combinations of notch parameters and load locations. The test results indicate that changes in the notch geometry and load locations aimed at improving the stress distribution in the test section resulted in unexpected changes in the failure mode. Paper was presented at the 1985 SEM Spring Conference on Experimental Mechanics held in Las Vegas, NV on June 9–14.     

Sensitivity of the shear gage to normal strains

This paper documents an experimental study that was conducted to demonstrate the sensitivity of the shear gage to the presence of normal strains. The shear gage is a specially designed strain gage rosette that measures the average shear strain in the test section of notched specimens such as the losipescu, Arcan and compact shear specimens. These specimens can have complicated stress states with high shear and normal strain gradients. To evaluate the sensitivity of the shear gage to normal strains, shear gages were tested on an Arcan specimen. The Arcan specimen is a notched specimen that can be loaded in pure shear (90 deg), pure tension (0 deg) and at intermediate 15- deg increments. The shear modulus for an aluminum specimen was determined at each of these loading angles. It was found that the gages display nearly zero sensitivity to normal strains ( _x, _y). Moiré interferometry was used to document the shear and normal strain distributions in the test section and to provide an independent method for determining the average shear strain. These results reinforce the robust nature of testing with the shear gage.     

Shear properties and a stress analysis obtained from vinyl-ester losipescu specimens

The use of losipescu specimens for the determination of the shear properties of a vinyl-ester resin was investigated. The antisymmetric four-point bend and the Adams and Walrath fixtures were studied for their suitability in loading these specimens. Photoelastic and strain-gage data in addition to published finite-element results show that the latter fixture distorts the stress field in the gage section. The antisymmetric four-point bend fixture is found to give the purest shear-stress field in the gage section and to yield the most reliable shear-modulus values. A refined photoelastic analysis shows that the shear-stress distribution between the notch roots is essentially uniform with a relative maximum or minimum at the centroid depending on the depths of the notches. Also, stress risers of up to 30 percent are observed near the notch roots. Except at the roots, finite-element predictions are presented which are in excellent agreement with photoelastic data. The failure mode of this vinyl-ester resin is tensile and the corresponding tensile stress calculated from the average shear stress in the gage section of the losipescu specimen is in excellent agreement with failure data acquired in tension.     

End-grip configurations for axial loading of composite tubes

Testing of high-strength, tubular, composite specimens in uniaxial and biaxial tension require end-grip fixturing to transfer large axial loads into the specimen. Two gripping configurations were analytically and experimentally evaluated to determine their affect on stress distribution within the specimen test section. The first was a bonded grip in which the tubular specimen is adhesively bonded in a deep-slotted aluminum end tab. The second was a threaded grip with glass cloth/epoxy overwrap on the specimen ends that thread into an aluminum, split-collar end tab. Large axial loads can be transmitted to the specimen with either design; however, each introduces axial-stress concentrations into the composite sample. The magnitude and distribution of stresses (strains) with axial position, which are a function of biaxial-stress ratio, were computed by finite-element analyses and verified experimentally with surface-strain measurements. This study illustrates the importance of utilizing analytical tools to examine the effect of end grip/specimen interaction on stress distribution within the gage section and on test data.     

A delamination gage for carbon fiber composites

A graphite crack gage familiar to fracture testing of nonconductive polymeric materials has been adapted to measure delamination growth in carbon fiber composites. The gage consists of a continuous graphite film whose conductance changes linearly with respect to crack length. The development of an insulation technique so that the electrical film may be applied to carbon fiber composites is described. Further constraints on the gage design occur due to the narrow profiles of conventional delamination specimens. These limitations are reviewed in detail along with appropriate methods for manufacturing and calibration of the gage for delamination experiments. A simple shunt voltage measurement circuit is described along with a derivation of the relationship of crack length to voltage. Two example applications are provided: stable delamination growth in a conventional double cantilever beam (DCB) specimen and dynamic delamination growth in a single-edge-notched (SEN) strip. The electrical delamination length measurements from the DCB tests were found to compare well with the location of the delamination front determined by microscopy and radiography. These results give confidence in dynamic delamination results where growth rates exceeding 1000 m/s were measured. Sample evaluations of delamination toughness are made using the experimental data; compliance methods are used in the case of the DCB analysis, and dynamic finite element methods are used in the case of the SEN strip analysis.     

Identification of Material Parameters of PVC Foams using Digital Image Correlation and the Virtual Fields Method

This paper presents an effective methodology to characterize all the constitutive (elastic) parameters of an orthotropic polymeric foam material (Divinycell H100) in one single test using Digital Image Correlation (DIC) in combination with the Virtual Fields Method (VFM). A modified Arcan fixture is used to induce various loading conditions ranging from pure shear or axial loading in tension or compression to bidirectional loading. A numerical optimization study was performed with different loading angles of the Arcan test fixture and off-axis angles of the principal material axes. The objective is to identify the configuration that gives the minimum sensitivity to noise and missing data on the specimen edges, which are the two major issues when identifying the stiffness components from actual DIC measurements. Two optimized Arcan test configurations were chosen. The experimental results obtained for these two optimized test configurations show a significant improvement of the measurement accuracy compared with a pure shear load configuration. The larger sensitivity of the pure shear test to missing data as opposed to the tensile test is also evident from the experimental data and confirms the analysis from the optimization study. The recovery of missing data along the specimen edges is a promising way to further improve the identification results.     

Inelastic behavior of an AS4/PEEK composite under combined transverse compression and shear. Part I: experiments

The nonlinear behavior in shear and transverse compression of unidirectional AS4/PEEK and their interaction are investigated experimentally. The composite is rate dependent even at room temperature and its rate exponent is similar to that of neat PEEK. The material is tested under pure shear, pure compression and under biaxial loading histories. The biaxial tests are performed in a custom facility on thin strips of the material. The facility allows freedom to choose the loading path in the biaxial stress and strain spaces of interest. Tests are performed for three biaxial loading paths. In the first, the specimen is sheared then compressed while the shear stress is held constant; in the second, the specimen is compressed then sheared while the compressive stress is held constant; and in the third, the specimen is loaded simultaneously by proportional amounts of compression and shear. It was found that the induced deformation is influenced significantly by the loading history followed. Also, initial loading in shear or compression has only a modest effect on subsequent loading of the other type. An unorthodox yielding behavior for the composite results from this lack of interaction. Finally, the stresses at failure are found to trace an elliptical path in the shear–transverse compression plane, but the failure stress state is not significantly affected by the loading path followed.     

Experimental study of thickness-tapered unidirectional composite compression specimens

Various untabbed, thickness-tapered compression specimen geometries were studied experimentally. Both shear-loaded and end-loaded compression test methods were used to measure the strength and stiffness of carbon/epoxy and glass/epoxy unidirectional composite material systems. The compressive strength was found to be strongly dependent on specimen geometry, loading conditions, and the cracks that initiated in the taper regions and propagated to various lengths prior to catastrophic failure. A specific thickness-tapered specimen geometry that produced compressive strengths significantly higher than conventional specimen configurations resulted from the experimental optimization process. A method of determining compressive strains, and thus the compressive modulus, using this same specimen geometry and strain gages was also demonstrated.     

Development of a portable shear test fixture for low modulus porous (foam) materials

The shear properties of brittle and highly porous carbon (graphitic) foam cannot be measured reliably with most standard test methods, such as single rail, double rail, Iosipescu shear, etc. A new testing device has been developed to accurately measure the shear stiffness and strength of carbon foam or other porous materials. Specimens of cylindrical cross section are used to reduce the high stress concentration that normally occurs in the vicinity of the grip section. Since strain gages could not be installed on the specimen surface (due to porosity), the shear strain is determined from the specimen end rotation. A high resolution in the rotational measurement is achieved by using a stepper motor with multiple gear reduction. In view of testing low modulus material, the load cell of the fixture was mounted onto an axial roller to relieve the axial constraint while twisting the specimens. The accuracy of the measurement and calibration of the test fixture has been demonstrated by measuring the shear modulus of two plastic (polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and urethane).