TABLE OF CONTENTS The analysis and design of composite structures requires the input of reliable experimental data. As in the case of analysis, experimental characterization can be done on several scales; micromechanical, macromechanical, and structural. Testing of composite materials has three major objectives: determination of basic properties of the unidirectional lamina for use as an input in structural design and analysis; investigation and verification of analytical predictions of mechanical behavior; and independent experimental study of material and structural behavior for specific geometries and loading conditions. Under these general objectives, specific types and applications of testing include the following:
Characterization of constituent materials, i.e., fiber, matrix and interphase, for use in micromechanics analyses. Knowing these properties, one can predict, in principle, the behavior of the lamina and hence of laminates and structures.
Characterization of basic unidirectional lamina which forms the basic building block of all laminated structures.
Determination of interlaminar properties.
Material behavior under special conditions of loading, e.g., multiaxial, fatigue, creep, impact, and high rate loading.
Experimental stress and failure analysis of composite laminates and structures, especially those involving geometric discontinuities such as free edges, cutouts, joints, and ply dropoffs.
Assessment of structural integrity by means of nondestructive testing
A variety of experimental methods are used for the various applications above. Most of these deal with measurement of deformation or strains. Experimental methods for composite materials are much more complex than for isotropic materials and require significant modifications. Test methods and extensive related references have been reviewed in the literature. [1]
