Abstract
Abstract Characterization of shear behavior in composite materials remains a not fully solved problem. In the last fifty years, many different approaches have been proposed to solve this problem (rail shear, thin-walled tube torsion, off-axis tensile, ±45° tensile, Arcan, Iosipescu, asymmetric four-point bend, plate twist, v-notched rail shear, off-axis flexural, and shear frame), although none of these approaches have achieved an unquestionable solution. For this reason, proposals of alternative methods and comparison between different experimental techniques are of interest. In the present work, the use of cruciform samples with the fiber oriented at 45° with respect to the load directions, and subjected to tension-compression (creating a pure shear stress state at the central part of the samples), is studied. The experimental results of the cruciform samples have been compared with the off-axis tests (with the fiber at 10°) for the same material (AS4/8552), finding a good agreement between the shear experimental curves, especially at the initial part of the curve, where the shear modulus is calculated. Nevertheless, the shear strength value obtained by means of the cruciform specimen has shown to be significantly lower than that obtained using the off-axis test. A Finite Element numerical model of the cruciform specimen has been developed to analyze the stress field of the samples. Numerical results have shown that there is a central area of the cruciform specimens where a pure and uniform shear stress state is developed, which is suitable for the evaluation of the shear constitutive law of the material. It has been observed that there is a (σ 22) stress concentration in the transition between the straight and curved parts of the boundary geometry of the samples, which explain some premature failures of the samples. This premature failure could be avoided with tabs extended up to the beginning of the central part of the sample.
Highlights
The precise mechanical characterization of composite materials is a basic step for the design of structures made with these materials
In order to check the suitability of the biaxial tensioncompression test using cruciform specimens, results for the shear modulus and shear strength will be compared with experimental results obtained using the off-axis test (10°) with oblique tabs for the same material system
The extremely brittle nature of failure in this type of samples makes the test results (a) to have a high sensitivity to local stress concentrations appearing in the sample geometry, and in consequence, (b) to have a higher dispersion in the strength results when compared to other test procedures
Summary
The precise mechanical characterization of composite materials is a basic step for the design of structures made with these materials. The basic idea beyond the shear characterization tests is to generate a pure and uniform shear stress state in the area of the sample where measurements are being carried out, in order to directly obtain the shear modulus G12 and the shear strength S. It is well-known that a tension and a perpendicular and equal valued compression stress state are equivalent to a pure shear stress state at 45°. The off-axis tension test does not produce a pure shear stress state, unlike the biaxial tension-compression test with cruciform samples
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