Interlaminar Strength and Stiffness of Layered Composite Materials

This paper is devoted to the experimental investigation of the interlaminar strength and stiffness of layered composite materials. Using a number of strength criteria it is shown that the final result of the design process is significantly dependent on setting the mechanical characteristics of composite material. Based on the existing ASTM D 3846 standard, a new method is proposed to determine the ultimate strength of composite samples under shear and their manufacturing technology. The article gives an overview of the existing method for defining elasticity modulus of layered composite materials in transverse direction. A new test method provides the means to obtain the characteristics of interlaminar strength. The methods developed yielded the characteristics of ultimate strength and elasticity modulus for carbon-plastic in transverse direction. It is shown that the final result of the design process depends significantly on setting reliable initial data on the mechanical characteristics of composite material.