Development and

Evaluation of Fracture
Mechanics Test Methods
for Sandwich Composites
2012 Technical Review
Dan Adams, Joe Nelson, Zack Bluth
University of Utah
 FAA Sponsored Project Information

Principal Investigator: Dr. Dan Adams

Graduate Student Researchers:
Joe Nelson Zack Bluth
Josh Bluth Brad Kuramoto
Chris Weaver Andy Gill

FAA Technical Monitors

David Westlund & Curt Davies
Collaborators:
NASA Langley NIAR
Airbus Boeing
Learjet Goodrich

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 BACKGROUND:
Fracture Mechanics Test Methods for Sandwich Composites

Fracture mechanics test methods for composites

have reached a high level of maturity
Less attention to sandwich composites
Focus on particular sandwich materials
Focus on environmental effects
No consensus on a suitable test configuration or specimen
geometry for Mode I or Mode II fracture toughness testing

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 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:
Fracture Mechanics Test Methods for Sandwich Composites

Focus on facesheet-core delamination

Mode I and Mode II
Identification and initial assessment of
candidate test methodologies
Selection and optimization of best suited
Mode I and Mode II test methods
Development of draft ASTM standards

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 SELECTED MODE I CONFIGURATION:
Single Cantilever Beam (SCB)

Elimination of bending of sandwich specimen

Minimal Mode II component
No significant bending stresses in core
No crack kinking observed
Appears to be suitable for a standard test method
Applied
Load Piano
Hinge
Delamination

Crack Tip

Plate Support

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 PARAMETERS INVESTIGATED:
Single Cantilever Beam (SCB) Test
Specimen geometry
Length
Width
Initial delamination length
Facesheet properties
Thickness
Flexural stiffness
Flexural strength
Core properties
Thickness
Density
Stiffness
Strength

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 RECENT EFFORTS:
Single Cantilever Beam Test for Sandwich Composites

Establishment of recommended specimen width

Anticlastic curvature and curved crack fronts
Minimum number of honeycomb cells
Effects of thru-thickness placement of starter crack
Procedures for testing sandwich configurations with
thin facesheets
Excessive facesheet rotation
Problems with using
compliance calibration method
Use of doublers

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 RECOMMENDED SPECIMEN WIDTH:
Anticlastic Curvature and Curved Crack Fronts

Foam Core Sandwich Specimens with Quasi-Isotropic Facesheets

0.3

0.25

Gc (N/mm)
0.2

0.15

0.1 25.4 mm
50.8 mm
0.05
76.2 mm
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Debond Length (mm)

51 mm (2 in.) selected as recommended

specimen width

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 RECOMMENDED SPECIMEN WIDTH:
Minimum Number of Honeycomb Cells

Nomex Honeycomb Core, 51 mm (2 in.) Wide Specimens

1.6
1.4
1.2

Gc (N/mm)
1
0.8 25
25.4mm
mm 3 cells
0.6 51
50.8mm
mm 6 cells
0.4
76
76.2mm
mm 9 cells
0.2
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Debond Length (mm)

Recommend a minimum of 6 honeycomb cells across specimen width

Most honeycomb cores will have at least 6 cells across 2 in. width
Width can be increased for larger-celled honeycomb cores

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 SCB FACESHEET THICKNESS EFFECTS:
Thin Facesheets
Thin facesheets create inaccuracies when using conventional
compliance calibration method
4 2a3 2 2 3ak F3
CSCB = = + a F1 + aF2 + +
P k 3 10Gxz,f t fb 2
Ratcliffe J. and Reeder, J., Sizing A Single Cantilever Beam Specimen for Characterizing Facesheet/Core Peel
Debonding in Sandwich Structure, Journal of Composite Materials, Vol. 45 no. 25 2669-2684, 2011

5/15
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 SCB FACESHEET THICKNESS EFFECTS:
Adding Tabbing Doublers to Thin Facesheets
Piano
Tabbing Hinge
Geometrically nonlinear FE Doubler
simulation of compliance
calibration method Plate Support

Adding tabbing doublers

to upper facesheet
predicted to increase
accuracy of GIC
calculation

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 USE OF FACESHEET DOUBLER:
Preliminary Test Results

1.6 mm tab
Different crack locations:
Thick-tabbed: crack growth in
core at the base of adhesive
fillets 0.58 mm tab
0.6 mm tab
Thin-tabbed: crack growth in in
vicinity of adhesive/core
interface
Untabbed: crack growth in film
Untabbed
adhesive

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 EFFECTS OF FACESHEET DOUBLER:
Different failure locations produces different Gc values

2.5 1.6 mm tab

2
1.6 mm tabbing

1.5

0.6 mm tabbing
Gc (N/mm)

0.6 mm tab

Untabbed
0.5

Untabbed
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Crack Length (mm)

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 NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION
Effects of Facesheet Doubler
Load applied in each model to produce
same GT value
No doubler, thin doubler, thick doubler
Consider crack growth at three through-
the-thickness locations
Investigate mode mixity (% GI)
Investigate orientation of max. principal
stress for expected crack growth direction

At interface
0.5 mm depth 1 mm depth

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 FACESHEET DOUBLER EFFECTS:
No Doubler
Facesheet
Crack

Core

Crack at interface

Shear Stress Gradient

99.3% GI

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FACESHEET DOUBLER EFFECTS:
Thin Doubler
Glass Doubler
Facesheet
Crack

Core

At interface
97.2% GI

Glass Doubler
Facesheet
Core Above Crack
Crack
Core

99.9% GI
.5 mm depth 16
FACESHEET DOUBLER EFFECTS:
Thick Doubler

93.8% GI
At interface

0.5 mm depth
98.3% GI

99.8% GI
1 mm depth 17
 MODE II TEST METHOD DEVELOPMENT
Challenges in Developing a Suitable Mode II Test
Maintaining Mode II dominated
crack growth with increasing crack
lengths

Obtaining crack opening during

loading
Mixed Mode Bend (MMB)
Obtaining stable crack growth along Configuration
facesheet/core interface Delamination Hinge

Modified Cracked Sandwich Beam (CSB)

with Hinge

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 SELECTED MODE II CONFIGURATION:
End Notched Sandwich (ENS) TEST
Modified three-point flexure fixture
High percentage Mode II (>80%) for
all materials investigated
Semi-stable crack growth along
facesheet/core interface
Appears to be suitable for a
standard Mode II test method

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MODE II END NOTCHED SANDWICH TEST
Numerical Investigations Performed
Mode mixity of crack growth (% GII)
Specimen width effects
Facesheet thickness effects
- Adding doubler to lower facesheet
Crack growth stability
- Specimen length effects
- Precrack length effects

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 Addressing Mode Mixity/Width Variations
Adding Flexural Stiffness to Bottom Facesheet
Increasing flexural stiffness (EI) of lower portion of
delaminated specimen reduces specimen width effect

Upper/Lower facesheet
thickness ratio
Fraction of Mode II

Increasing
ratio

0.5 in.
Distance From Edge, in.

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 ADDRESSING CRACK GROWTH STABILITY:
Specimen Span Length and Precrack Length
Selection of proper precrack length/span length
expected to produce stable crack growth
Experimental results have shown this effect
Required Displacement for Crack Growth
0.009
Applied Displacement (m)

0.008
0.007
Beam Deflection(m)

0.006 Pre-crack Region of Unstable

Crack Growth
0.005
0.004
0.003
0.002
Minimum
0.001 pre-crack
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
a/L
Precrack length/Span Length

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 TOWARDS STANDARDIZATION

Presentation and discussion at ASTM Committee D30 on

Composites every six months
Next presentation: April 18, 2012 in Phoenix, AZ

Overview presentations at CMH-17 Testing Working Group

Next presentation: August 22, 2012 (Location TBD)

Performing SCB testing at the University of Utah for

interested parties

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 SUMMARY
Benefits to Aviation
Standardized fracture mechanics test
methods for sandwich composites
Mode I fracture toughness, GIC
Mode II fracture toughness, GIIC
Test results used to predict
delamination growth in composite
sandwich structures

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Thank you for your attention!

Questions?