SHEAR TESTING SR4

SUBMITTED BY ARJUN RADHAKRISHNAN CID 00704997


SUMMARY The test is conducted to estimate the shear strength and shear modulus. Iosipescu and 45o tensile test are used to calculate in-plane shear modulus and strength. Short beam test is utilized to obtain apparent inter-laminar shear strength of the material. The load, displacement and the strain are monitored. The short beam test yielded reliable inter-laminar shear strength of mean 98.56 MPa. The Iosipescu test was for shear properties in 1-2 plane yielded a mean of 4.62 GPa and 97.978 MPa of shear modulus and shear strength. The 45o tensile test indicates a close correlation with current literature for both shear modulus and strength. Shear strength obtained from Iosipescu [0]n test is almost double the data from literature, although, the shear modulus is comparable. The short beam test indicates a reliable data for apparent inter-laminar shear stress (ILSS). INTRODUCTION The composite material has a poor shear resistance. The common failure mode in composites is delamination and inter-laminar shear strength is one of the parameters that regulate it. The inplane shear resistance is poor too and this leads to quick crack growth. The challenge in shear testing for composite specimen lies in achieving a pure shear stress state. All test methods address this by aiming to maximize the shear stress state in the specimen. The inherent specimen defects augments the difficulty in achieving a pure shear stress. Few types of tests for shear strength and modulli are listed in table 1.

Figure 1 Iosipescu test1

Figure 2 Two-rail shear test1

Figure 3 Three rail shear test1

Figure 4 Short beam test2

Figure 5 Failure modes for Iosipescu test1


Table 1 Shear testing methods1

TEST NAME 45o tensile test

V-notched Iosipescu test

Short beam test

10o off axis test

Rail shear test

DESCRIPTION A specimen with symmetric layup of 45o is loaded under tension. Strains are monitored in 0o & 90o. Specimen dimensions varies with standards A uni-directional specimen with 2 opposing v-notches at the center is utilized to maximize shear. A Wyoming test fixture, as shown in fig 1, is used to load the specimen. The strains are monitored in 45o and -45o. The fibers can be in transverse or longitudinal direction to the loading direction. A flat or ring specimen of span/thickness of 5 or 4 is utilized depending on the standards. A three point bending method is used to load the specimen as shown in fig 4. A specimen with fibers oriented 10o of the loading direction is subjected to tension. A rosette strain gage arrangement is used to monitor strain. The specimens are designed according to the standards. It can be 2 or 3 rail system, as shown in fig 2 and 3.

STANDARDS BS EN ISO 14,129 ASTM 3518M-94 ASTM D 5379

COMMENTS The shear strength and shear modulus in 1-2 plane is calculated. The ultimate stress is indicative of sum of shear and tensile strengths. The shear strength and modulus in 1-2 or 2-1 plane is calculated. The failure mode is to be reported. The ASTM provides a list of acceptable failures. The transverse fiber specimens have an unambiguous failure but longitudinal fiber specimen is preferred as it is more representative of the shear strength. The test measures the apparent ILSS. The tensile and compressive forces are reduced to minimum by having a small span/thickness ratio. The 10o axis fibers maximize the shear state. The in-plane shear strength and modulus can be calculated. Shear strength and modulus can be calculated. Possibility premature failure at bolting joints.

BS EN ISO 14130 ASTM D 2344-84

Currently not registered in any of the standards. ASTM 4255 D-

Figure 6 Failure modes in Short beam test2


Table 2 Failure modes for various testing methods1

Test name 45o tensile test

V-notched Iosipescu test (0o)

V-notched Iosipescu test (90o)

Short beam test

Failure modes The failure is mixture of tensile and shearing. Fiber rotation, edge and internal delamination precede fracture. The specimen might take strain even beyond shear failure due to the fiber. According to standards 5% strain is a cap at which the specimen is safely assumed to have failed by shear. The failure initiated by stress concentration at the notches, leading to cracking at tips. The cracks occur at both the notches. The crack grows axially but is arrested by the longitudinally aligned fibers. Minor interfacial cracks combine to grow the crack until specimen fails completely. The specimen might not split as shearing of finer might not take place. The failure mode will vary with specimen material as shown in fig 5. The crack grows along the notch tip and occurs at a very low load, as the fracture resistance is low. Inter-laminar shear failure is expected for glass and carbon fiber reinforced composites. DRC exhibits a tensile through thickness cracking. The failure may occur at the loading points due to localized buckling of fiber. The various modes are depicted in fig 6

OBJECTIVES The in-plane shear test is to be done using V-notched Iosipescu (0o & 90o) and 45o tensile test. The through thickness shear test is to be done using short beam bending test. A Wyoming test fixture (as shown in fig 1) is used for V-notched Iosipescu test, A tensile loading jig is for 45o tensile test and three point bending fixture (as shown in fig 4) is used for short beam test. The parameters to be monitored for the three tests are shown in table 3.
Table 3 Parameters to be monitored

Test name V-notched Iosipescu 45o tensile test Short beam test

Loading

Displacement

Strain

The properties to be calculated for the three tests are shown in table 4.
Table 4 Properties to be calculated

Properties Expected failure mode Shear strength, Shear modulus, Failure at the notch width Failure strain with no delamination Shear strength, Shear modulus, Failure at the gage length Failure strain with minimized tensile failure Short beam test Apparent Inter-Laminar shear Inter-laminar failure strength The failure mode of the specimen is to be reported and irregularities reported. The Stress-Strain is to be plotted for the Iosipescu and 45o tensile test specimens.

Test name V-notched Iosipescu test 45o tensile test


PROCEDURE Four specimens are prepared using MTM 44-1 HTS prepreg tapes the dimensions are according to the standards and tabulated in tables 5,6 & 7 The V-notched Iosipescu specimen is shown in fig 7.

Figure 7 Iosipescu test specimen3 Table 5 45o tensile test specimen dimensions

Thickness (mm) 1.06 1.01 1.05 1.04 Thickness (mm) 3.52 3.06 3.22 3.33 Span/Thick ness 4.8 10 4.46 4.72

Specimen 1 2 3 4 Fiber direction 0o 90o

Length (mm) 96.5 96.5 98.87 98.93

End tab length (mm) 51.5 51.7 50 50 Width (mm) 75.63 75.81 75 75 Width (mm)

Width (mm) 24.96 24.98 24.21 24.87 Notch width (mm) 11.1 11.4 11.57 11.33 Thickness (mm)

Table 6 Iosipescu test specimen dimensions

Specimen 1 2 1 2

Length (mm) 19.91 20 19.79 20

Table 7 Short beam test specimen dimensions

Specimen

Length (mm)

1 19.88 9.96 2.08 2 19.92 996 2 3 19.08 9.97 2.24 4 19.96 9.97 2.117 The Iosipescu and tensile test specimens are end-tabbed with GRP. The Iosipescu and tensile test specimen surfaces are cleaned and roughened using an abrasive cloth. The strain gauges are attached to those specimens using adhesives. IOSIPESCU TEST The V-notched specimen is loaded on to the Wyoming fixture as shown in fig 1. The span between the loading rollers is kept at 10mm. The strain gage outputs are connected to the data acquisition device. The load is applied at a constant rate of 1mm/min using an Instron at one end of the fixture. 45O TENSILE TEST The 45O tensile specimen is loaded on to the jig as shown in fig 8. The strain gage outputs are connected to the data acquisition device. A tensile load is applied at a constant rate of 1mm/min for specimen 1 and 3 and 5mm/min for specimen 2 and 4 using an Instron testing machine.


SHORT BEAM TEST The specimen is loaded on jig that applies a three point bending as shown in fig 4. The specimen is subjected to a constant displacement rate of 1mm/min.

DATA ACQUISITION AND INTEPRETATION The parameters are monitored as shown in table 3 and the stress and strain are calculated using equations2,3 1 and 2,respectively. Report the failure modes. i = Pi/A - eqn 1 i= |xi| + |yi| - eqn 2 Pi- load at ith point A cross-sectional area xi, yi- Strain in directions 45 o and -45o to the fiber Plot the stress vs. strain to failure for Iosipescu and tensile test specimens. The shear strengths and shear chord modulus are calculated using the formulae in table 8 and table 9, respectively. Discuss the failure modes reported and the quality of the data. Where,
Table 8 Equations to calculate shear strength

Test name Iosipescu test3

Shear strength Fu = Pmax/A

45O tensile test4

12= Pmax/2A

Short beam test2

SH= 0.75Pb/bd

Terms Fu- Ultimate shear strength Pmax maximum load prior to failure For 0o it has to be noted that the second load drop is taken as the failure load as the first drop in load is due to notch root crack development. A cross-sectional area at the failure location, usually the notch area. 12- Maximum shear stress Pmax maximum load at or below 5% shear strain. A- cross-sectional area of the gage zone. SH- apparent inter-laminar shear strength Pb- breaking load b- width of the specimen d- thickness of the specimen

Table 9 Shear chord modulus formulae

Test name Iosipescu test3

Shear modulus Gchord=/ Gchord- shear chord modulus of elasticity - difference in applied shear stress - difference between the shear points

Strain range Start point within the range of 1500-2500 End point at 4000200

45O tensile test4

Figure 8 45o tensile testing

RESULT
Table 9 Results for Iosipescu tests

Fiber angle 0o

Specimen

Shear strength (MPa) 95.616

Shear modulus (GPa) 4.2

Failure mode and observations

A horizontal crack near the bottom notch The specimen did not split completely Debonding of end tabs at the static end

90

2 1

100.34 26.29

4.8 2.83

NA* Specimen cracked into two The split is not at the notch width as shown in figure 11 NA* Failure mode and observations Specimen failed near the bottom tab at an angle as shown in figure 12. Debonding noticed at the end tabs. A very slight bending was observed Specimen failed near the top at an angle. Debonding noticed at the end tabs.

* The specimen testing was not visually studied

34.2

3.5

Table 10 Results for 45O tensile test

Specimen 1

Shear strength (MPa) 109.987

Shear modulus (GPa) 3.333

120.690

4.333

* The specimen testing was not visually studied

3 4

116.441 107.590

3.667 3.667

NA* NA*

Figure 9 Stress-Strain plot for Iosipescu specimens

Figure 10 Stress-Strain plots for tensile test specimen

Figure 11 Iosipescu 90 degree - specimen 1

Figure 12 45O tensile test - specimen 1 Table 11 Results for Short beam test

Specimen 1

Apparent ILSS (MPa) 98.793

2 3 4

99.615 100.671 95.313

* The specimen testing was not visually studied

Failure mode and observations A delamination was visible on top plies. The bottom plies indicated no failure. The mode is inter-laminar shear. A slight indentation is visible. A slight crack was noticed, but unable to define it as delamination. Compressive and inter-laminar failures. NA* NA*

DISCUSSION In the Iosipescu test for 0o specimens, the stress increases as the strain until there is slight drop as shown in fig 9. The first drop is indicative of the initial crack growth at the notches. The crack initiates at both the notches and grows. The slight drop in stresses can be attributed to formation of multiple cracks and its growth until finally the specimen fails. The rise in stress with no strain increase is due to strain gage failure before the failure load was reached. The trend is similar for both the specimens. The final failure did not result in total splitting of specimen, as fibers were not sheared. The specimen shear strength is twice more than that is presented in the literature. The result variation can be attributed to either of the reasons stated below: 1. The material is stronger than that is stated in literature 2. The identification of final failure is flawed The second reason is most probable one, as identifying the ultimate failure from axial splitting is a current problem in Iosipescu testing. Much work has been done regarding identification of the failure load, but its still inconclusive. The strength obtained in [0]n Iosipescu testing can be over 10 % overestimation. The [90]n Iosipescu testing is considered to give underestimation of around 20 %. The results are flawed as the shear gets coupled with transverse tension leading to premature failure. As seen from fig 9, the failure occurs much below the [0]n specimens. The strain increases with stress and the drops as it fails. The variation in trend for specimen 1 can be attributed to errors by the strain gages rather than any phenomenon of academic interest. The stress-strain for 45O tensile test is plotted in fig 10, but only till the maximum strain recorded. The strain gage maximum stress was 2.1% normal strain. It cannot be verified if the maximum strain went above 5%, hence giving no indication if shear failure occurred even before recorded failure load. The trend is similar for the entire specimens and indicates a transition region. The specimens seem to indicate similar stresses in the linear region, but as the transition occurred it diverted. The mean shear strength is 113.677 MPa that are comparable to the available literature, indicating that the specimen failure can be attributed to shear. The failure occurred at an angle and indicates possible shear assisted by the tensile forces. The fiber rotation must have occurred as the specimen did not explosively fail and

10


remained intact due to the fibers. The case is similar for both the specimens except for the position of the failure.
Table 12 The validity of the test

Test name Iosipescu test

Standards Both surfaces are to be bonded with strain gages two monitor if twisting of specimen occurs.

Failure should be at the notch

Strain gage of minimum resistance 350 .

45O tensile test

The strain gage with capacity upto 5% strain is required.

The strain gage alignment

Short beam test

Width/Span ratio near to 2

Current test and comment2,3,4 Only one side was bonded with specimen, it can only be assumed no twisting is occurring. It should be verified by reliability of data and comparison with literature. The notch is used to reduce effects of tensile and compressive failure. If, the failure did not occur at the notch it is indicative of effects of tension. The failure for Iosipescu test for [90]n occurred away from the notch so invalid. The strain gage resistance is 120 , but as carbon is conductivity material the heat wont build and hence effects of temperature on the readings are negligible. The strain gage failed at around 2.1% strain hence ultimate failure strain could not be measured. The strength maybe an overestimation as it is unsure if the strain crossed 5%. The strain gage on specimen 2 was slightly misaligned. Although the result would not have been affected severely. The width span ratio was close to 5 for all specimens. This possibly could have affected the properties, as increased width wise shear would have existed. ref

Table 13 Comparison with literature5

Test name Iosipescu [0]n 45O tensile test

Shear strength (MPa) Current test Literature 97.978 50.3 113.677 115

Shear modulus (GPa) Current test Literature 4.5 4.31 3.75 4.83

The short beam test is a quality assurance test. As the shear is induces by flexure the shear strength obtained is an apparent inter-laminar stresses and cannot be used for design

11


purposes. The specimen 1 had a visible indentation possibly due to the loading roller, this could have attributed to a lower ILSS. A visible crack is present on top ply of specimen 2 indicating a possible compressive failure. The current test data is reliable as the variation is less with a mean strength of 98.598 MPa.
Table 14 Standard deviation of the properties

Test name 45O tensile test Iosipescu [0]n Short beam test CONCLUSION Shear strength 5.986 3.240 -

Standard deviation Shear modulus 0.419 0.424 -

Apparent ILSS 2.321

The in-plane shear testing done using Iosipescu [0]n , [90]n and 45O tensile test. The Iosipescu [90]n is poor for obtaining shear properties due to specimens premature failure. The Iosipescu [0]n test provides a reliable shear modulus of mean value 4.5 GPa, but the shear strength value indicates an anomaly. The accuracy of identifying of the final failure is essential to the calculation of shear strength. The shear strength and modulus obtained from 45O tensile test is 113.677 MPa and 3.75 MPa, respectively. The better result for shear modulus is obtained from Iosipescu test while shear strength is from 45O tensile test. The short beam test yielded an apparent ILSS of 98.598 MPa. The test is suitable for quality assurance as the standard deviation of the test is 2.321. The shear test method is to be chosen from among the various tests based on the requirement, accuracy and cost of testing. REFERENCES 1. Hodgkinson, J. M., Mechanical testing of advanced fibre composites, 2000 pg. 43-73, edition 2000 2. ASTM D-2344, Standard Test Method for Short-Beam Strength of Polymer Matrix Composite Materials and Their Laminates, 2000 3. ASTM D 5379, Standard Test Method for Shear Properties of Composite Materials by the V-Notched Beam Method, 1998 4. ASTM 3518, Standard Test Method for In-Plane Shear Response of Polymer Matrix Composite Materials by Tensile Test of a 645 Laminate, 2001 5. Shear testing - SR4 laboratory handout

12