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Fibre composites have excellent mechanical properties assuming GIC is constant during crack propagation.
in the fibre direction. However, the interlaminar
In the present paper, an analytical compliance method
strength is often a limiting factor in the use of
is developed and applied to Mode I interlaminar
composites, and the failure of composite structures is fracture toughness testing of composite laminates. The
mainly a result of delamination. Therefore, method is based on the analytical relationship between
measurements and predictions of interlaminar strength the crack length and compliance of DCB specimens,
are essential to a fail-safe design based upon and Gic is obtained from the compliance without
composites. Three-point bend of short beams has been direct measurement of crack length. A finite element
commonly applied for estimating interlaminar shear analysis is carried out to obtain the compliance of the
strength, but it is difficult to obtain reasonable results DCB specimen. Load-line crack opening displacement
in the case of tough polymer-matrix composites (load-line COD) is measured with high accuracy in the
because shear failures do not occur. Recently, the tests. The analytical compliance method and the
relationship between fracture toughness and energy measuring system of the load-line COD is applied to a
release rate during the delamination has been computer-aided testing system. Continuous measuring
investigated from the viewpoint of linear fracture of GIc is possible with this testing system, and an
mechanics) -s Double cantilever beam (DCB) improvement is made on the reliability of experimental
specimens are used in a Mode I test and a compliance data. The method is successfully applied to laminates
method is commonly applied to the data reduction with large thicknesses where the interlaminar strength
based on the elementary beam theory, The fracture is important. Acoustic emission (AE) is measured
toughness, Gjc, is derived from an experimental during the test in order to examine microscopic
relationship between the compliance and crack length, fracture processes.
0010-4361/87/O50393-07 $3.00 1987 Butterworth Et Co (Publishers) Ltd
COMPOSITES. VOLUME 18. NUMBER 5. NOVEMBER 1987 393
SPECIMEN CONFIGURATIONAND MATERIAL Table 1. In-plane properties of carbon/epoxy
Specimen configuration laminates
In this work the crack length, a, and energy release Longitudinal modulus, EL (GPa) 108
rate, G, of DCB specimens were measured using an Transverse modulus, ET (GPa) 7.8
analytical relation of compliance. This method is Transverse shear modulus, GET (GPa) 4.1
termed the 'analytical compliance method' in the Poisson's ratio, YLT 0.34
present paper. In order to apply the analytical Longitudinal tensile strength, FL (MPa) 1680
compliance method, the configuration of DCB Transverse tensile strength, FT (MPa) 57.2
specimens must be such that the load-line crack Transverse shear strength, FLT ( M Pa) 71.6
opening displacement can be readily measured.
Furthermore, the loading system should have sufficient
stiffness for stable crack growth. DCB specimen used in this paper. The bend test was
chosen because the major mode of deformation in DCB
In fulfilling these requirements, a new DCB fixture, as specimens is flexural instead of tensile. Other elastic
shown in Fig. 1, has been designed. A pair of Z-shaped and strength properties in Table 1 were measured using
aluminium blocks with a loading hole were bonded on tensile specimens with a thickness of 2 mm.
the upper and lower surfaces of the composite laminate
specimen with an initial crack. The DCB specimen was Initial cracks
loaded in transverse tension through a pair of loading
An initial crack of 25 mm in length was introduced
pins. COD along the load line was recorded using an
extensometer with a gauge length of 25 mm. It should into the midplane of a specimen by inserting a very
be noted that, in the conventional method of Mode I thin PTFE film (10-30/~m in thickness) between the
interlaminar fracture toughness testing, the cross-head lay-ups during fabrication. The method has been
commonly used to introduce a sharp crack in
displacement is commonly used in place of COD.
laminates. However, from the viewpoint of quality
However, the cross-head displacement is sensitive to
the stiffness of the loading system and thus is influen- assessment, it may be necessary to introduce an initial
crack mechanically when specimens are prepared from
ced by the deformation of the gripping fixture and
finished products such as structural members. In order
testing machine.
to assess the suitability of machined initial cracks,
Materials notches with widths of 0.3 and 0.8 mm were introduced
by a grinding cutter.
Unidirectional carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy (carbon/
epoxy) (0)40 laminates made from Toray prepreg COMPLIANCE OF DCB SPECIMEN
P305/25 (T300/#2500) were used for the DCB
specimens. The nominal single-ply thickness and Purpose of analysis
specimen thickness were 0.25 mm and 10 mm, The purpose of the following analysis was to achieve
respectively. Laminates with a fibre volume fraction, Vf, an accurate solution of the compliance of DCB
of 60% were prepeared using the autoclave technique. specimens. Once the relationship between crack length
The laminate in-plane properties are shown in Table 1. and compliance is established, there is no need to
The longitudinal Young's modulus, EL, was determined follow the extension of a crack experimentally nor to
from a four-point bend specimen with a thickness of record the crack length; hence automated testing
5 mm, which conicides with the cantilever height of the becomes possible.
B Loading direction
2H = IO
B =20
o =25
AE transducers
25
(coD)
\
~ H
Loading direction
~
the case of highly orthotropic materials such as
unidirectionally reinforced composites and hence it 0.0 - O
cannot be neglected, a0 has been obtained in the
present analysis by using a finite element method. The er beom theory
value of a0 obtained from analysis for unidirectional
carbon/epoxy laminate is about 2H. o~
ID
c .0 FEM X
E
o
P~ L _o
2 0 I I I I
i 0o I I I I
i-
<->
Fig. 2 Schematic view of a cantilever beam approximation to the Fig. 3 Numerical error in finite element analysis of cantilever beam
deformation of the DCB specimen (dimensions in mm)
Elements : ~ 8 0
Nodes: 1296
CrQck t i p
Region A
iiJ [ l l l l l l l l l l l l t l l l l l l l l l
L I I I I I I I I I I , , I I I I I I I I ' I
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' . . . . .
I I I
' ' I I I
I I I I I I
. . . . i:
iiiiiii
\
A
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
was changed from four to 16 in incremental steps of Axial extensometer and AE transducers were attached
0.4. Unit load was applied on the pin hole (see Fig. l), to the DCB specimen as shown in Fig. 1. Tensile load
and the load-line displacement, 8, for the gauge length was applied to the specimen by an MTS electro-
of 25 m m was used to calculate the compliance, 8/P. hydraulic testing machine controlled by a DEC P D P -
Elastic moduli in Table 1 and of aluminium alloy were 11/23 PLUS minicomputer at the cross-head speed of
used for the numerical calculation, Effects of the adhe- 0.3 m m min -1. Unloading and re-loading took place
sive layer between the laminate and aluminium blocks are several times during the test to obtain compliance data
neglected in the present analysis. In the case of the as shown in Fig. 8. Crack length was measured using a
specimens with machined notches, the effect of initial travelling microscope in order to examine the validity
crack width, ie, the gap between the upper and lower of the analytical compliance method. AE signals from
Notch width Co C1 C2 C3
(mm)
0.0 -2.1 67 0.5003 0.0 0.0
0.8 -2.680 0.5341 - 7 . 1 6 2 x 10 -4 3 . 9 2 8 x 10 -6
0 I I I I I I I I I
5.0-
5.0 I00 I 5.0
I I
I0.0 PO.O 30.0 Normolized crock length, o / H
roo. o. n = o . , z , co 0,,oo e Fig. 12 Results of Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness for machined
initial crack of 0.8 mm in width. Average G is 244 N m-1 (analytical
L J compliance method is applied)
Fig. 9 Experimental end analytical results showing relationship between
crack length and compliance (PTFE film used to introduce initial crack,
notch width = 0 mm)
.... :~!.
,I been confirmed both theoretically and experimentally.
80
"13
v
'""
. .:...
: I""":':it~i,~L,~"'
..... n. l
""~ I~.::.':~=:.":~'
:., i:..'::
...., ., ,.:o,,,:..,
A computer-aided testing (CAT) system has been
' developed and applied to Mode I interlaminar fracture
6o
h ,.,.. toughness tests based on the analytical compliance
'." :111~. ~'a "~ i'~ ,~tr," -'.
<
E method. Control of testing machine and measurement
of crack length and energy release rate have been
Discrimination level
carried out automatically by the CAT system with very
high accuracy.
I A close agreement also has been obtained between
I00 200 650 750 measured GIC values of specimens with initial cracks
introduced by two methods; these include insertion of
Time (s) PTFE film during fabrication and mechanical cutting
Fig, 13 AE amplitude distribution during crack propagation after cure. From the viewpoint of quality assessment,
specimens prepared after cure are more preferable for
fracture toughness measurements.
1.25 Results of AE analysis have indicated good relation
0 Felicity ratio ( PSN/ PUN ) between the AE amplitude distribution and fracture
Load r a t i o ( PFN/PUN)
toughness. Constant Felicity ratio also has been
observed during stable crack propagation.
I .0
0
0
0
8
0
8
0
0
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This work was financially supported by the Agency of
0 .75 Industrial Science and Technology, Ministry of
International Trade and Industry, Japan.
REFERENCES
O .5 I 1 I I 1 Russell, A.J. and Street, K.N. Proc ICCM-IV (1982) p 279
50 40 50 60 70 80 2 Wilkins, D.J. et al ASTM STP 775 (American Society for
Crock length(ram)
Testing and Materials, 1982) p 168
3 Riddle, R.A. and Beckwith, S.W. 29th Nat SAMPE Syrup (1984)
Fig. 14 Changes of Felicity ratio and load ratio during crack propagation p 304
4 Su, K.B. Proc ICCM-V (1985) p 995
5 Keary, P.E. and IIcewitz, L.B. J Composite Mater 19 (1985)
Felicity ratio ( P s N / P u N ) and load ratio (PFN/PuN) are p 154
calculated during the stable crack growth. PuN is the 6 Whitney, J.M. et al J Reinforced Plastics & Composites 1 (1982)
p 297
load at which the Nth unloading process starts, PFN is 7 Devitt,D.F. et al J Composite Mater 14 (1980) p 270
the load at which AE stops during the Nth unloading 8 Whitney, J.M. Composites Sci & Technol 23 (1985) p 201
process and PSN is the load at first detection of an AE 9 Okamura, H. 'Introduction of Linear Fracture Mechanics'
event in the Nth re-loading process. Fig. 14 shows the (Baihukan. Tokyo. Japan, 1976) (in Japanese)
results of the Felicity ratio and load ratio, which are 10 Timoshenko, S.T. and Goodier, J.N. 'Theory of Elasticity'
nearly constant during crack propagation Constant (McGraw-Hill, New York, USA, 1951)
Felicity ratio means that stationary fracture takes place
in the damaged zone ahead of the crack tip and, as a AUTHORS
result. Gic remains constant during the crack
K. Kageyama is with the Mechanical Engineering
propagation.
Laboratory, Agency of Industrial Science and
Technology. Ministry of International Trade and
CONCL USlONS Industry, Ibaraki 305, Japan T. Kobayashi is with the
The analytical compliance method has been Department of Mechanical Engineering, Science
successfully applied to Mode I interlaminar fracture University of Tokyo, Chiba 278, Japan T.-W. Chou, to
toughness testing. A new DCB specimen was designed whom enquiries should be addressed is with the Center
to measure load-line COD with high accuracy. The for Composite Materials and the Department of
compliance of the specimen with different crack Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware,
lengths was analysed using finite element method. Newark, DE 19716, USA.