EXPERIMENTAL MONITORING OF STRAIN LOCALIZATION AND FAILURE BEHAVIOR OF COMPOSITE-MATERIALS

Strain localization and failure behaviour of short-glass-fibre-reinfor ced polypropylene (SGFPP) have been investigated in compact tension (C T) specimens by using the Hentschel random access tracking system. The displacement fields measured in a zone behind the notch of the specim en are used to compute the strain fields during the entire lending pro cess. From these strain fields process zones have been determined. Ana lysis of the results leads to an improved insight into the local failu re behaviour of SGFPP and provides local and global experimental data for parameter estimation in numerical models. (C) 1996 Elsevier Scienc e Limited