Reducing Variability in Composites Testing

Characterizing the basic static properties of these materials requires a wide range of mechanical tests and more complex tests are required to determine their durability under service conditions such as compression after impact (CAI) for aerospace, fatigue loading in the wind energy sector and high-speed testing for automotive crash protection. Often, the tests need to be conducted under different environmental conditions and minimizing the scatter of the results of these tests while maintaining high productivity is a major challenge.

Agenda

• Composite material properties
• Overview of mechanical testing of composites
• Sources of variability and recommendations