Characterization of elastic constants of anisotropic composites in compression using digital image correlation

Experimental determination of elastic constants of anisotropic composite laminates in all orthogonal directions is generally a complex process. In this paper a simple direct technique to determine a broad set of elastic moduli is presented based on compression testing of a prism sample. Digital image correlation is used to measure the full-field deformations that allow the determination of Young's moduli and all six Poisson's ratios for the three orthogonal directions based on a single sample. Finite element model is used in evaluation of the effect of friction on the measured properties. In addition to quantitative characterization of the material properties, local strain mapping is used in qualitative evaluation of the sample structures.