This practice covers the procedures for computing material property characteristic values for polymeric composite materials intended for use in civil engineering structural applications. A characteristic value represents a statistical lower bound on the material property structural member resistance factors for civil engineering design codes for composite structures.

This practice may be used to obtain characteristic values for stiffness and strength properties of composite materials obtained from measurements using applicable test methods.

1.1 This practice covers the procedures for computing characteristic values of material properties of polymeric composite materials intended for use in civil engineering structural applications. The characteristic value is a statistically-based material property representing the 80 % lower confidence bound on the 5th-percentile value of a specified population. Characteristic values determined using this standard practice can be used to calculate structural member resistance values in design codes for composite civil engineering structures and for establishing limits upon which qualification and acceptance criteria can be based.

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.