Evaluation of in-plane shear test methods for composite material laminates

In-plane shear properties of composite material laminates are very important in structural design of composite material. Four commonly used in-plane shear test methods were introduced in this paper. In order to study the differences of various shear test methods, two ASTM standard in-plane shear test methods for composite material laminates were experimentally investigated. They are ±45° tensile shear test (ASTM D3518) and V-notched rail shear test (ASTM D7078). Five types of composite material laminates composed of E-glass fiber fabric and vinyl ester resin were utilized, whose stacking sequences are 03s, 0/903s, CSM/0/902s, ±453s and (0/90)2/(±45)2/(0/90)2s, respectively. The test results indicate that the ±45° tensile shear test can predict shear moduli of composite material laminates accurately. However, the predictions of shear strength using ±45° tensile shear test are significantly lower than those of V-notched rail shear test.

An experimental study of in-plane arch-shaped dampers

As an effort to minimize material utilization, seismic steel dampers designed to deform inelastically in an in-plane flexural mode have attracted serious attention recently. This paper presents a new type of metallic yielding damper referred to as the in-plane arch-shaped damper modified from its portal frame-shaped counterpart by replacing the straight beam with a circular arch to minimize the effects of stress concentration and warping, and therefore to avoid premature failure. Component tests of both the portal frame-shaped and arch-shaped in-plane dampers were conducted for comparison. Hysteresis loops obtained from the component tests under cyclic loads indicate substantial improvement on the energydissipative characteristics of the proposed damper. Moreover, seismic performance assessment of the proposed damper was carried out further via shaking table tests of a five-story model frame. Encouraging results have been achieved in terms of acceleration reduction, damping enhancement and peak suppression of the frequency response functions, suggesting the potential of the proposed device to be used in earthquake-resisting systems.

Fatigue damage evaluation by metal magnetic memory testing

Tension-compression fatigue test was performed on 0.45% C steel specimens.Normal and tangential components of magnetic memory testing signals,Hp(y) and Hp(x) signals,with their characteristics,K of Hp(y) and Hp(x)M of Hp(x),throughout the fatigue process were presented and analyzed.Abnormal peaks of Hp(y) and peak of Hp(x) reversed after loading; Hp(y) curves rotated clockwise and Hp(x) curves elevated significantly with the increase of fatigue cycle number at the first a few fatigue cycles,both Hp(y) and Hp(x) curves were stable after that,the amplitude of abnormal peaks of Hp(y) and peak value of Hp(x) increased more quickly after fatigue crack initiation.Abnormal peaks of Hp(y) and peak of Hp(x) at the notch reversed again after failure.The characteristics were found to exhibit consistent tendency in the whole fatigue life and behave differently in different stages of fatigue.In initial and crack developing stages,the characteristics increased significantly due to dislocations increase and crack propagation,respectively.In stable stage,the characteristics remained constant as a result of dislocation blocking,K value ranged from 20 to 30 A/(m·mm)-1,and Hp(x)M ranged from 270 to 300 A/m under the test parameters in this work.After failure,both abnormal peaks of Hp(y) and peak of Hp(x) reversed,K value was 133 A/(m·mm)-1 and Hp(x)M was-640 A/m.The results indicate that the characteristics of Hp(y) and Hp(x) signals were related to the accumulation of fatigue,so it is feasible and applicable to monitor fatigue damage of ferromagnetic components using metal magnetic memory testing(MMMT).

Testing of a Full-Scale Composite Floor Plate

A full-scale composite floor plate was tested to investigate the flexural behavior and in-plane effects of the floor slab in a grillage of composite beams that reduces the tendency for longitudinal splitting of the concrete slab along the line of the primary beams. This is important in cases where the steel decking is discontinuous when it is orientated parallel to the beams. In this case, it is important to demonstrate that the amount of transverse reinforcement required to transfer local forces from the shear connectors can be reduced relative to the requirements of Eurocode 4. The mechanism under study involved in-plane compression forces being developed in the slab due to the restraining action of the floor plate, which was held in position by the peripheral composite beams;while the secondary beams acted as transverse ties to resist the forces in the floor plate that would otherwise lead to splitting of the slab along the line of the primary beams. The tendency for cracking along the center line of the primary beam and at the peripheral beams was closely monitored. This is the first large floor plate test that has been carried out under laboratory conditions since the Cardington tests in the early 1990s, although those tests were not carried out to failure. This floor plate test was designed so that the longitudinal force transferred by the primary beams was relatively high (i.e., it was designed for full shear connection), but the transverse reinforcement was taken as the minimum of 0.2% of the concrete area. The test confirmed that the primary beams reached their plastic bending resistance despite the discontinuous decking and transverse reinforcement at the minimum percentage given in Eurocode 4. Based on this test, a reduction factor due to shear connectors at edge beams without U-bars is proposed.

单向纤维复合材料的偏轴实验方法开发与评价(英文)

This study presents an integrated method suitable for off-axis tension and compression testing in unidirectional composites,and its application to the testing of in-plane shear characterization.A new rotating-grip test fixture,incorporating the attractive features of the existing pinned-end fixture and hydraulic wedge grips,has been developed.The proposed gripping system consists of two sets of jaw faces,each with a pair of self-aligning bearings that allows for loading in the axial and radial directions.Finite element analysis and experiments were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the rotating-grip test fixture.Results from numerical calculations show that this method reduces stress concentrations near the end and produces relatively uniform stress distributions in the specimen gage section.Mechanical testing results show a considerable increase in the measured shear properties of composites,compared with the existing end grip systems.The results indicated that the new test fixture is significantly better than the conventional fixture,and is also comparable to the method of the oblique end-tab for off-axis testing.