Experimental Characterization of Advanced Composite Materials

Leif A. Carlsson, Ph.D received his advanced degrees from Upsala University and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. He spent a postdoctoral year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, USA. He then served as head of the composites section at the Aeronautical Research Institute of Sweden (FFA), Bromma; assumed a visiting position at the Center for Composite Materials at the University of Delaware, Newark, USA; and joined the faculty of mechanical engineering at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, USA. He has published extensively in the areas of mechanics and fracture mechanics of composite materials and sandwich structures.Donald F. Adams is founder/president of Wyoming Test Fixtures, Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah, USA and emeritus professor at University of Wyoming, Laramie, USA. He previously worked for Northrop Aircraft Corporation, Hawthorne; the Aeronutronic Division of Ford Motor Company, Newport Beach; and Rand Corporation, Santa Monica—all in California, USA; and directed the Composite Materials Group at University of Wyoming for 27 years. He received his BS and Ph.D from University of Illinois, Champaign, USA and his M.Sc from University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA. Extensively published, he has conducted composite materials analysis, testing, and design for 40+ years.R. Byron Pipes is John L. Bray distinguished professor of engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. He has served as president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; distinguished visiting scholar at the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA; provost and vice-president for academic affairs, dean of the College of Engineering, and director of the Center for Composite Materials at University of Delaware; Goodyear professor of polymer engineering at University of Akron, Ohio, USA; and director of the National Engineering Research Centers of the National Science Foundation, USA. He holds a Ph.D from University of Texas, Arlington, USA and M.Sc from Princeton University, New Jersey, USA.

• Introduction. Analysis of Composite Materials. Processing of Composite Laminates. Test Specimen Preparation, Strain and Deformation Measurement Devices, and Testing Machines. Cure Shrinkage and Residual Stress Testing of Resins. Single-Fiber Tensile and Matrix Characterization Tests. Fiber-Matrix Interface Testing. Lamina Tensile Response. Lamina Compressive Response. Lamina Shear Response. Lamina Flexural Response. Lamina Off-Axis Tensile Response. Lamina and Laminate Thermoelastic Response. Through-Thickness Tension and Compression Testing. Laminate Mechanical Response. Open-Hole Tensile and Compressive Strengths of Laminates. Characterization of Delamination Failure. Damage Tolerance Tests. Sandwich Beam and Core Testing. References. Appendix A: Compliance and Stiffness Transformations and Matrix Operations. Appendix B: Preparation of Test Specimens and Panels. Appendix C: Sample Laboratory Report. Appendix D: Unit Conversions. Index.

"Whereas most of the currently available textbooks on composites deal with the analysis of composites, this book clearly is devoted to a detailed and well-adjusted treatment of the experimental characterization of composite materials. On a sound theoretical background, more than 15 well-configured chapters are devoted to all the essential practical aspects in the preparation and testing of composite specimen. The presented material is of a high standard with a high degree of maturity and also applicability. This intended fourth edition stands in a line with three former very useful editions and thus has already a story of success."—Wilfried Becker, Institute of Structural Mechanics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany"This book is a must-have for anyone dealing with composite materials. It provides an introduction to the essential elements that an engineer must consider when choosing to use composite materials. Even for those of us not working with advanced composite materials, such wood- and pulp-based materials, the information contained in this book provides the necessary background, overview of testing procedures, and methods of characterization that prove useful."—Douglas W. Coffin, Department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA"… offers one-stop shopping for the most commonly used tests for polymeric composite materials. It should be on the shelf (or in the lab) for those responsible for conducting tests on composites or using data coming from those tests."—Scott W. Case, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, USA"This edition of the classic text on experiments with composite materials provides newcomers with the background needed to characterize composite materials for the gamut of properties, from independent tests of matrix and fiber to complex laminate performance and durability. Experienced professionals will appreciate it as a concise review of the material and a handy reference that provides new insight into the capabilities and limitations of each experiment."—Terry S. Creasy, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA"… definitely a ‘must-have’ book by everyone working in the area of composite materials and structures. A wide range of researchers, engineers, suppliers, and technicians will find this text an invaluable source of the state of the art in experimental mechanics of composites. Major directions of experimental characterization are described in a very clear and logical way, providing convenient guidance for test selection, implementation, and interpretation of generated results. Also, the new Fourth Edition of this already classical book is significantly expanded to address a broader scope of composite-related applications (e.g., characterization of single-fiber composites, damage tolerance, sandwich systems, core, etc.). Overall, the book is a great contribution to the science and technology of composite materials."—Mark R. Gurvich, Ph.D, Technical Fellow, United Technologies Research Center, East Hartford, Connecticut, USA