Tensile shear loading test materials

Shear stresses cause sliding in an element of material as shown in Fig. 1(a). All shear tests are variants of either an overlap or a torsional joint and these are illustrated schematically in Figs. 1(b) and (c). The shear in the first is induced by transfer of the tensile/compressive load from one substrate to the other, while in the second it is caused by transfer of torsional loads from one substrate to the other. The tests have been grouped according to the manner in which the shearing has been induced. 

Ultimate strength n. The maximum nominal stress a material can withstand when subjected to an applied tensile, compressive, or shear load. If the mode of loading is not specified, it is assumed to be tensile. In materials that exhibit a definite yield strength, ultimate strength will usually mean the nominal stress at break, which can be less than the maximum. Shah V (1998) Handbook of plastics testing technology. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 

An important implication of the presence of the shear-extension coupling coefficient is that off-axis (non-principal material direction) tensile loadings for composite materials result in shear deformation in addition to the usual axial extension. This subject is investigated further in Section 2.8. At this point, recognize that Equation (2.97) is a quantification of the foregoing implication for tensile tests and of the qualitative observations made in Section 1.2. 

Flexural strength is determined using beam-shaped specimens that are supported longways between two rollers. The load is then applied by either one or two rollers. These variants are called the three-point bend test and the four-point bend test, respectively. The stresses set up in the beam are complex and include compressive, shear and tensile forces. However, at the convex surface of the beam, where maximum tension exists, the material is in a state of pure tension (Berenbaum Brodie, 1959). The disadvantage of the method appears to be one of sensitivity to the condition of the surface, which is not surprising since the maximum tensile forces occur in the convex surface layer. 

The mechanical properties of a material describe how it responds to the application of either a force or a load. When this is compared to an area, it is called stress, another term for pressure. Three types of mechanical stress can affect a material tension (pulling), compression (pushing), and shear (tearing). Figure 15.27 shows the direction of the forces for these stresses. The mechanical tests consider each of these forces individually or in some combination. For example, tensile, compression, and shear tests only measure those individual forces. Flexural, impact, and hardness tests involve two or more forces simultaneously. 

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