For the design of laminates the knowledge of the failure behaviour of plies under multiaxial stresses is a necessary precondition. The strength of plies under multiaxial stresses commonly is determined by standard off-axis tests using fixed clamps. By varying the off axis angle the ratio of shear to normal stresses can be prescribed. However, by preventing the rotation a complex stress field develops which strongly varies with the off axis angle as well. While these effects are not crucial when determining the elastic material parameters since the stress state in the center of the specimen is not far from the ideal uniaxial stress state they have a great influence on the failure behaviour.
The nonlinear behaviour of epoxy resins is studied on standard tensile tests. A strain field measurement system is applied (Aramis) in order to monitor local strains. The residual strain is measured by recovering the specimens for up to 68 hours after unloading. The time span the specimen is exposed to load has a large influence on the creeping process and the residual strain after recovering. This is studied by comparison of instantaneous unloading with keeping the specimen under permanent load for thirty minutes. It is shown that moderate differences in the initial strain can lead to large differences in the creep behaviour as well as in the residual strain.