Experimental Investigation of the Failure Rate Dependency of Composite Materials Using Off-Axis Tensile Tests

The present study investigates the mechanical response of T700/M21 Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers submitted to coupled shear and transverse tension at intermediate strain-rates ranging from 0.001 to 15 s−1. The experimental investigation is performed using transverse and oblique tabs off-axis tension specimens with a low aspect ratio. The axial stress-strain curves are successfully simulated using Finite Elements simulations with a viscoelastic model. The numerical simulations enable the calculation of corrections to take into account the effect of end constraints for such low aspect ratio specimens. Finally, an increase of the material strength with the strain-rate is observed.