Carbon Fiber Uni-Directional Epoxidic Matrix

As industries such as aerospace and automotive look to make lighter weight parts and vehicles, more and more critical components are being made of composites. Since a single failure of these components could be catastrophic the testing requirements are extraordinarily strict to ensure that the raw materials are safe for use. Composite materials have properties which are highly directional so it’s necessary to test with a system that is well aligned and repeatable. Tensile testing of composite laminates is typically done to standards such as ASTM D3039, D5083, D5766, EN 2561, EN 2597, prEN 6035, ISO 527-4. ISO 527-5, and AITM 1-0007.

We’ve recently tested uni-directional carbon fiber laminates and found that by using the 5980 floor model instrument with an Alignpro and the precision manual wedge grips, we were able to test the samples within Nadcap alignment standards and without any grip slippage. This solution allows the customer to meet the most rigorous alignment standards and ensure that the resulting data is accurate.

In order to make setup easier and prevent the user from invalidating their tension alignment, the precision manual wedge grips do not need to be removed from the system before setting up flexural, shear, or compression tests.