Compared to traditional, structural materials, composites offer designers improved performance and flexibility. However, these benefits come at the cost of increased material complexity and it is easy to overlook the challenges of producing high-quality test data to support the needs of both design and materials component.
A previous webinar by Ian McEnteggart, "The Challenges of Composites Testing," reviewed the basics of composites laminate testing. This webinar takes an in-depth look at composites fracture toughness and sandwich construction testing.
Fracture toughness describes the resistance of a material to crack propagation from a defect, as it is a very important parameter in many critical structural applications of composites such as aerospace.
Sandwich constructions are extremely efficient and lightweight structures with a high stiffness and strength-to-weight ratio that are used extensively in aerospace and commercial industries. Like composite laminates, characterization of sandwich constructions requires a range of tests under different loading and environmental conditions.
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