Observation of Fracture in CFRP Tensile Test

Introduction

CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) has attracted attention as a high-performance composite material with high strength and rigidity, yet low in weight, and is being applied in various fields, such as for aircraft, railroad vehicles, automobiles, and civil engineering. This example describes evaluating the characteristics of a flat plate specimen of CFRP material when a tensile load is applied (tensile test) and observing the fracture status. Tensile testing consisted of static testing of material strength and measuring the modulus of elasticity using a precision universal testing machine. In addition, high-rate tensile impact test was also performed. In the latter case, a high-speed video camera was used to record specimen fracture, which allowed capturing image data of the instant the CFRP material fractured.

November 10, 2010 GMT