COMPOSITES

01 3119-610 environmental chamber with CP104947 100 kN extended hydraulic grips

02 Bluehill® Universal

Environmental

Testing under conditions of high or low temperatures is a common requirement in evaluating composite materials. The 3119 Series environmental chambers offer a range of sizes and temperature ranges to suit a wide variety of requirements.

Software

Static tests on composites are performed by Bluehill Universal or Bluehill Elements software. Bluehill Universal is available with a number of pre-configured test methods for composites testing, including :Airbus AITM 1-0005 (Issue 2 June 1994), AITM 1-0007 (Issue 3 December 2004), AITM 1-0010 (Issue 3 October 2005), ASTM C365-05, ASTM C1358-05, ASTM D2344-00, ASTM D3039-08, ASTM D3846-08, ASTM D4018-99, ASTM D5766-07, ASTM D7137-07, EN 2563 (1997), ISO 527-4 (1997) & ISO 527-5 (1997), ISO 14125:1998, ISO 14129:1997, ISO 14130:1997. Fatigue tests can be performed using dynamic software programs, such as WaveMatrix™.

Adhesives play an increasingly important role in modern life and are frequently found as replacements for more traditional methods of joining materials such as riveting, crimping and welding. Adhesive joints offer improved performance in a multitude of applications including automotive, aerospace, packaging and biomedical. From pressure-sensitive tapes to high-strength resin systems, the performance of adhesives is constantly being evaluated using materials testing systems. Apart from tensile and shear tests such as tack and lap-shear, the peel strength properties of adhesives are of great importance. Tape manufacturers, for example, use 90°, 180° and rotating wheel peel tests. Specialized peel tests, such as the climbing drum method, are used to characterize the honeycomb paneling used in aerospace applications. The peel test produces a rapidly alternating force as ligaments of adhesive are stretched and then fail. The capture and interpretation of such characteristics requires great care in the design of the test instrument and analysis software in order to ensure meaningful data. Stiff and responsive load cells, high bandwidth electronics and high data acquisition rates are all important factors in peel testing adhesives.

As adhesives find their way into ever more arduous applications, the need to understand their fatigue behavior increases as does the need to understand their short and long-term response to differing environmental conditions.