5.1 This test method is designed to yield tensile fatigue data for material specifications, research and development, quality assurance, and structural design and analysis. The primary test result is the fatigue life of the test specimen under a specific loading and environmental condition. Replicate tests may be used to obtain a distribution of fatigue life for specific material types, laminate stacking sequences, environments, and loading conditions. Guidance in statistical analysis of fatigue life data, such as determination of linearized stress life (S-N) or strain-life (ε-N) curves, can be found in Practice E739.

5.2 This test method can be utilized in the study of fatigue damage in a polymer matrix composite such as the occurrence of microscopic cracks, fiber fractures, or delaminations.3 The specimen's residual strength or stiffness, or both, may change due to these damage mechanisms. The loss in stiffness may be quantified by discontinuing cyclic loading at selected cycle intervals to obtain the quasi-static axial stress-strain curve using modulus determination procedures found in Test Method D3039/D3039M. The loss in strength associated with fatigue damage may be determined by discontinuing cyclic loading to obtain the static strength using Test Method D3039/D3039M.

Note 1: This test method may be used as a guide to conduct tension-tension variable amplitude loading. This information can be useful in the understanding of fatigue behavior of composite structures under spectrum loading conditions, but is not covered in this test method.

1.1 This test method determines the fatigue behavior of polymer matrix composite materials subjected to tensile cyclic loading. The composite material forms are limited to continuous-fiber or discontinuous-fiber reinforced composites for which the elastic properties are specially orthotropic with respect to the test direction. This test method is limited to unnotched test specimens subjected to constant amplitude uniaxial in-plane loading where the loading is defined in terms of a test control parameter.

1.2 This test method presents two procedures where each defines a different test control parameter.

1.2.1 Procedure A—A system in which the test control parameter is the load (stress) and the machine is controlled so that the test specimen is subjected to repetitive constant amplitude load cycles. In this procedure, the test control parameter may be described using either engineering stress or applied load as a constant amplitude fatigue variable.

1.2.2 Procedure B—A system in which the test control parameter is the strain in the loading direction and the machine is controlled so that the test specimen is subjected to repetitive constant amplitude strain cycles. In this procedure, the test control parameter may be described using engineering strain in the loading direction as a constant amplitude fatigue variable.

1.3 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system are not necessarily exact equivalents; therefore, to ensure conformance with the standard, each system shall be used independently of the other, and values from the two systems shall not be combined.

1.3.1 Within the text the inch-pound units are shown in brackets.

1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.