Validation of the Longitudinal Half Fixed Beam method for characterizing mode III delamination of composite laminates

For some time now, delamination has been the subject of study as a major failure mechanism in composite materials formed by the stacking of successive layers or plies. Although three fracture modes have been identified within this mechanism, mode III has been studied and analyzed the least by researchers. The reason is none other than the difficulty that has always existed of designing a test that enables a specimen of any type of geometry to be subjected to pure mode III loading. In the present study, two separate techniques, digital image correlation and scanning electron microscope fractography, are used to verify that the device designed by the authors allows working with pure mode III loading.