Comparison of Composite Properties from Different Test Standards - A Case Study from the Development of a Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) Standard for Pultruded Composites

摘要

The development of design standards is critical to facilitate the expanded use of composites in new applications. One aspect of the development of design standards that is often not fully appreciated is the need for the selection of appropriate mechanical property test standards to be utilized with the design standard. While advances in standardization of test methods for composites have been made, many cases still exist where there are numerous variations for a given test technique. The large number of test standards and the variations for a given test technique may lead to confusion and may hinder the development of design standards for composites. This paper discusses a project conducted to generate comparison property data from various test methods for commercial pultruded composites. Test methods examined included compression testing, shear testing, and tension testing. This test series was conducted during the development of a load and resistance factor design (LRFD) standard for pultruded composites. Data from this test series was utilized in the selection of ASTM test methods to be utilized for the LRFD Standard for pultruded composites.