Stiffness and fracture of shear loaded laminates investigated with a shear frame test
- Fibre Reinforced Plastics (e.g. CFRP, GFRP) characteristically show nonlinear stress-strain behaviour due to intralaminar shear loading. The determination of the in-plane shear stiffness and strength for this class of material is difficult and common test standards and methods of analysis are partially inaccurate. The identification of the in-plane shear properties was made with an especial designed “picture frame test device” which enables shear loading up to 950N/mm. Therefore the strength limit can be reached at specimens with adequate thickness and a high safety factor against buckling. Due to the chosen design the maximum of the shear loading and the final failure occur in the centre of the specimen. The experiments match with the numerical analysis.