Testing of Composites: A Review

Abstract

A B S T R A C T Manufacturers from various industries always strive to produce structures that are lighter, stronger, offer greater corrosion resistance and exhibit other required properties; than those of the traditionally available materials. Composite materials offer a solution to all the needs of these manufacturer(s). Composites are complex structures made of a variety of different polymers, metals, and ceramic materials. Composite materials are being used increasingly in a wide variety of products and applications. Ever-increasing performance demands in the industries viz. the aerospace, automotive, and environmentally sustainable-energy systems requires a wider range of physical and mechanical testing. Testing of composites for physical and mechanical properties is required to characterize and understand the performance of these materials. Testing of composite materials includes high force tension and compression, impact, flexure, shear, rheology, and fatigue tests under a range of environmental and/or experimental conditions. Mechanical testing is an important step in the building block approach to design of composite aircraft structures. Mechanical testing instruments are configured using a range of fixtures that have been developed to provide various ways to test composite materials depending on the type of material and its intended end use. In this paper various methods of testing composite materials has been discussed in details. The paper also provides a source of information about the current testing methods through which the advanced composites can be evaluated to yield satisfactory results.