Abstract
An experimental investigation was performed to study the in situ ply shear strength of fiber-reinforced laminated composites. The effects of laminate thickness, ply orientation, and testing methods on the ply shear strength of laminated composites were the major concerns of the study. T30011034-C and T3001976 GraphiteIEpoxy cross-ply laminates were selected for the tests, and the rail shear and Iosipescu shear test methods were used for measuring ply shear strengths. The results of the test data strongly indicate that the ply orientation and laminate thickness significantly influence the ply shear strengths of the laminates. The rail shear and Iosipescu fixtures provide, in general, similar trends to the shear strength distributions in laminates. However, significant differences between the results of these two methods could appear for ply orientations with uneven volume fractions of 0 and 90 degree fibers in laminates. Based on the test results, the Iosipescu shear fixture produced overall lower shear strengths than the rail shear fixture.
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