A Hybrid Experimental-Numerical Test Specimen for Laminated Composite Materials

Abstract

A new technique is described for determining all four elastic constants of a lamina from a single laminated specimen of arbitrary, symmetric lay-up. This specimen is subjected to three different loading conditions, and the experimental data is reduced by means of a finite element analysis. The testing procedure for the specimen is relatively easy, which can result in considerable time and cost savings over traditional methods. The new specimen generates biaxial stress states. Thus, the material properties determined from such a configuration may be more appropriate for later use in structural analysis than those determined from traditional specimens with uniform uniaxial stress states.