Accceleration of fatigue tests of polymer composite materials by using high-frequency loadings

The possibility of using high-frequency loading in fatigue tests of polymer composite materials is discussed. A review of studies on the use of high-frequency loading of organic-, carbon-, and glass-fiber-reinforced plastics is presented. The results obtained are compared with those found in conventional low-frequency loadings. A rig for fatigue tests of rigid materials at loading frequencies to 500 Hz is described, and results for an LM-L1 unidirectional glass-fiber plastic in loadings with frequencies of 17 and 400 Hz are given. These results confirm that it is possible to accelerate the fatigue testing of polymer composite materials by considerably increasing the loading frequency. The necessary condition for using this method is an intense cooling of specimens to prevent them from vibration heating.