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Biaxial tensile test is a tensile testing in which the sample is stretched in two distinct
directions. This technique is used to obtain the mechanical characteristics of anisotropic
materials, such as composite materials, textiles, and soft biological tissues. There are three
main types of biaxial tensile testing.
1. Bursting test, based on a circular specimen clamped along the edge and inflated by
air or water under pressure until the specimen bursts;
2. Cylinder test, based on a hollow cylinder subjected to internal pressure and axial
pressure or tension;
3. Plane biaxial test which offers the best result because of the independent force
introduction in the two main directions.
The scope of the test represents one of the most crucial aspects in developing the relative
testing protocol. For foils and coated fabrics there are several areas of interest: the initial
behaviour, the service behavior, the behavior at break, the long term behaviour (creep) and
the dynamic behavior. The material response can be significantly different according to the
loading condition considered.
A protocol on the initial behavior aims to investigate the material behaviour of the fabric at
the early stages of the structure’s life span during the erection phase. The results represent a
fundamental support for the compensation of the panels of fabric in order to refine the
erection and pre-tensioning processes.
The service behaviour is another aspect of great interest because it represents the overall
material response to load conditions occurring during the entire life span of the structure. The
result of this type of test represents a fundamental input data for the software used for
structural analysis and the determination of the stress distribution in the structure. The biaxial
behaviour at breaking load is an important open issue that has not been investigated
thoroughly until now. Previous researches demonstrate the difficulties concerning the rupture
of a biaxial sample, it has been noted that generally the maximum biaxial tensile strength is
lower than the corresponding ultimate tensile strength obtained by means of a monoaxial test.
However, the test can be focused on the resistance of a joint, evaluating the strength of welded
(high frequency welding, hot element welding), glued and sewn seams or the resistance of
clamping plates and Keder rail joints or looped and laced joints.
Another field of research is the appearance and propagation of tears in the fabric, this issue
has been partially investigated and represents a fundamental data in the determination of the
safety factor which should be used for a specific structure. Because tear propagation
generally occurs at 25% UTS, the safety factor is generally higher than four. The test is
carried out on a sample taken from a dismounted structure or by using conditioned samples
of fabric which aim to reproduce the in-situ conditions. The load profile should reproduce
the expected overload by pulling the sample until breakage, which should start far from the
sample edge and the clamping system. The repetition of the test and different temperatures
(generally -20 °C and +70 °C) offers important information about the joint behaviour at
extreme conditions, such as heavy snow fall with temperatures below zero or a blast of wind
during a hot summer. This type of test is generally required by designers and manufacturers
and those in charge of the evaluation of the structure behaviour and the final test of the
structure. Finally, in order to prevent collapses due to ponding and fluttering, the creep
behaviour should be carefully considered in the design, choosing anchorages which enable
periodical re-tensioning according to the predicted fall in the level of pre-stress. It is based
on a monoaxial test but an accurate investigation requires the use of virgin cruciform samples
of fabric and the force is applied by means of counter weights. The creep is defined as the
“increase in strain with time when a constant force is applied” and aims to describe the
material behaviour when a constant force is applied over a long period of time. This has a
considerable effect on the design and realisation of the membrane structure because a
progressive increase in the material strain leads to a considerable reduction in the level of
pre-stress initially induced in the structure. The sample should be maintained at a constant
temperature and for specific applications it may require a proper climatic chamber for
investigations at high and low temperatures. There are no complete studies about the dynamic
behaviour of coated fabric and foils for structural applications. A dynamic test on coated
fabrics can evaluate the response under fast loading and unloading cycles due to blasts of
wind or other sources of stress. It should consider a conditioned fabric which reproduces the
in-situ conditions and the testing apparatus should be able to apply a high speed load profile
which is generally not possible with a common testing rig equipped with electric
servomotors. The results of this type of test, despite the absence of research which can
support these expectations, can highlight anomalies in the fabric strength and in the tear
propagation with consequent adjustments in the safety factor applied.
Procedure
One of the key aspects is the sample mounting, which should consider the initial gauge
length, the correct positioning of the fabric into the clamps and the correct application of the
strain transducers in the central area.
The next crucial stage is load application. This issue has been widely investigated but there
is no loading path universally adopted by the testing laboratories. It has to be said that the
loading cycles mainly depend on the scope of the test and it is unrealistic to consider the
possibility of elaborating a single loading path able to fulfil at the same time all the
requirements imposed by the investigation of the initial behaviour, the service behaviour, the
behaviour at breaking load and long term behaviour. This part of the procedure should
provide a valid approach to the establishment of a load profile, describing the effects of the
parameters involved, in order to fully investigate the material response according to the
required repeatability. Since coated fabrics do not follow an elastic behaviour, once the stress
is removed the sample maintains a certain level of permanent strain, a plastic deformation.
This behaviour is known as residual strain and is present both in monoaxial and biaxial tests.
The main value of residual strain is shown between the first and second load cycle, decreasing
to zero after a number of cycles that depends on the material properties, the applied load and
the time for which it has been applied. This is due to the creep of the yarns and the coating
material and to the internal frictional effects.[4] In order to obtain a realistic description of the
material the strain should be measured within a unique load cycle, assuming equal to zero
the strain at pre-stress. For this reason the loading cycle considered for the strain measure is
generally preceded by identical cycles in a number sufficient to stabilise the sample response.
In order to remove the residual strain previous researches considered adequate the application
of five identical loading and unloading cycles, the TensiNet design guide. Consider three or
five repetitions to be sufficient, depending on the testing protocol. While the Membrane
Structures Association of Japan prescribes the repetition of the cycles three times, but only
for the 1:1 load ratio which separates the others. This offers several advantages in the
comparison of readings carried out within the same test and with other tests.
For the investigation of the typical behaviour of an in-situ fabric, it is proposed a test protocol
divided into: pre-stress, conditioning and a final radial test regime. The prestress was
considered fundamental in order to reproduce the typical stress state of a membrane structure
after the initial pre-tensioning is concluded, it is held for a certain amount of hours and
generally set at 1.3% UTS for PVC/polyester fabric and 2.5% UTS for PTFE/glass fibre
fabric.
A second issue which should be taken into account is the effect of the load history on the
response of the fabric. This may have important consequences for the structure of the load
profile, which may turn out be inadequate for the investigation of in-situ conditions of fabrics
which have not yet undergone the maximum stress state applied during conditioning.
Thirdly, it is crucial to determine the possible effects of the recent load history on the fabric
response, in particular whether the load sequence followed by approaching a particular stress
state result in a different level of strain. The effects due to the level of minimum pre-stress,
load history and the recent load history should be carefully considered when developing the
testing load regime. The aim is to assure the repeatability of the test and that the data obtained
are in accordance with the scope of the test.
Ensayo de tracción biaxial
1. Ensayo de estallido, basado en un espécimen circular sujeto a lo largo del borde e inflado
por aire o agua bajo presión hasta que estalla el espécimen.
3. Prueba biaxial plana que ofrece el mejor resultado debido a la introducción de fuerza
independiente en las dos direcciones principales.