FURI | Spring 2019

Redesign of the Mixed-Mode Fracture Fixture for More Accurate Damage Tolerant Structures

Polymer Matrix Composites (PMCs) and nanocomposites have become widely preferred in high application designs, like aircraft, satellites, and other critical components, due to their high strength ratio to their weight. However, one of their drawbacks is delamination. Delamination is a mode failure that causes the material to separate into layers and lose its mechanical toughness. Reeder and Crew were the first researchers developing a mixed mode bending (MMB) fixture that characterizes delamination fracture toughness. The main goal of this research is to modify the original MMB fixture for better characterization of fracture toughness for making more accurate damage tolerant designs.