Use of ARAMIS for Fatigue Process Control in the Accelerated Test for Composites

Abstract

All aircraft structures are exposed to both fatigue and static loads. Damage caused by fatigue loads is much more dangerous because it can cause damage at a level lower than the ad hoc strength. Fatigue testing requires both a large number of samples and machine time, which generates considerable costs. In the case of tests performed on prototypes, it is sometimes impossible to make a large number of samples. In such a situation, as well as in a situation when results are sufficient, the accelerated methods described by the co-author in [3] may be used to study with some approximation. In the standard tests, only the number of cycles measured under a predetermined regime is used. Many signals can be used in accelerated studies: e.g. piston displacement, force, strain gauge, thermographic measurement [4].