Review of material test standardization status for the material qualification of laminated thermosetting composite structures

Abstract

This paper presents a review of recent literature related to the static mechanical testing of thermoset-based carbon fiber reinforced composites and introduces a material qualification methodology to generate statistically-based allowable design values for aerospace application. Although most test methods have been found to be effective in determining the specific material properties by incorporating them into the material qualification and quality control provisions, a full validation to clarify the behavior of thermoset-based laminated composite materials is currently lacking, particularly with regard to the characterization of compressive, in-plane, interlaminar shear, and damage tolerance properties. The present study obtains information on the different types of test method that can be employed within the same material properties, and makes an in-depth experimental comparison based on the past literatures. A discussion on the scope of theoretical analysis involves a description of how the proposed test method can be adequate for obtaining more accurate material properties. This discussion is directly applicable to the assessment of material nonlinearity and the geometrical effect of specimens. Finally, the resulting failure modes and the effect of each material property are studied to aid the understanding of the load distribution and behavior of laminated composite materials.