Compression, Tension and Shear Testing of Fibrous Composite with the Split Hopkinson Bar Technique

Abstract

The Split Hopkinson Bar (SHB) technique is used for high strain rate testing of T800/F3900 composite in compression, tension and shear. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is used for measuring the full-field deformation on the surface of the specimen by using Shimadzu HPV-X2 high-speed video camera. Compression tests have been done on specimens machined from a unidirectional laminate in the 0°and 90° directions. Tensile tests were done in the 90° direction. Shear tests were done by using a notched specimen in a compression SHB apparatus. To study the effect of strain rate, quasi-static testing was also done using DIC and specimens with the same geometry as in the SHB tests. The results show that the DIC technique provides accurate strain measurements even at strains that are smaller than 1%. No strain rate effect is observed in compression in the 0° direction and significant strain rate effects are observed in compression and tension in the 90° direction, and in shear.