Mode II fatigue delamination resistance of advanced fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix laminates: Towards the development of a standardized test procedure

Delamination resistance testing of fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix laminates under fatigue loads is important for materials development and structural design. Mode II in-plane shear fatigue test development using three-point bending end-notched flexure (3-ENF) and two-point bending end-loaded split (ELS) set-ups is performed in a round robin. Effects of specimen restraint observed earlier in ENF tests are confirmed and preliminary data indicate differences between the two set-ups, if simple beam theory or experimental compliance analyses are applied. Possible reasons for the observed disagreement are discussed. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.