Susceptibility to delamination is one of the major weaknesses of many advanced laminated composite structures. Knowledge of a laminated composite material’resistance to interlaminar fracture under fatigue loads is useful for product development and material selection. Furthermore, a measurement of the relationship of the mode I cyclic strain energy release rate and the number of cycles to delamination growth onset, G–N, that is independent of specimen geometry or method of load introduction, is useful for establishing design allowables used in damage tolerance analyses of composite structures made from these materials.

This test method can serve the following purposes:

5.2.1 To establish quantitatively the effects of fiber surface treatment, local variations in fiber volume fraction, and processing and environmental variables on G–N of a particular composite material.

5.2.2 To compare quantitatively the relative values of G–N for composite materials with different constituents.

5.2.3 To develop criteria for avoiding the onset of delamination growth under fatigue loading for composite damage tolerance and durability analyses.

1.1 This test method determines the number of cycles (N) for the onset of delamination growth based on the opening mode I cyclic strain energy release rate (G), using the Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) specimen shown in . This test method applies to constant amplitude, tension-tension fatigue loading of continuous fiber-reinforced composite materials. When this test method is applied to multiple specimens at various G-levels, the results may be shown as a G-N curve, as illustrated in Fig 2.

1.2 This test method is limited to use with composites consisting of unidirectional carbon fiber tape laminates with single-phase polymer matrices. This limited scope reflects the experience gained in round robin testing. This test method may prove useful for other types and classes of composite materials, however, certain interferences have been noted (see Section 6.5 of Test Method D 5528).

1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. The values provided in parentheses are for information only.

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 and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.