Interlaminar tensile strength (ILTS) measurement of woven glass/polyester laminates using four-point curved beam specimen

Based on a review of the current methods for the measurement of interlaminar tensile strength (ILTS), a novel specimen of a four-point curved beam is evaluated for this purpose. Detailed finite element analysis is carried out to investigate the appropriateness of the data interpretation formula. A simple design method to choose the appropriate parameters in order to guarantee the delamination failure is provided. This specimen is used to measure the ILTS of woven glass/polyester laminates. The results are found to be comparable with other methods. The most attractive advantage of this test method is its simplicity and that it requires no special techniques in specimen preparation and test set-up. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Limited