The new shear test system to be displayed at Composite Europe by Grasse Zur Ingenieurgesellschaft is very well suited for measuring shear characteristics with high precision. This is the conclusion from analyzing the results of a research project done by the BAM German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing.

A shear test system for testing quasi-static shear in fiber reinforced plastics with a method that exceeds the precision of results compared with the current standards (DIN EN ISO 14129, ASTM D 4255, ASTM D 7078).

As a result of the advantages that the new method offers, the shear test system using a shear frame was used by BAM for extensive testing of the specific shear characteristics on carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforced plastics: The shear stress is largely homogenous throughout the specimen, the edges of the specimen have a tight clamping on all sides and specimen with any fiber orientation angle can be tested.

This offers a remarkable improvement for high quality material testing of fiber reinforced plastics. The shear frame also features a large shear area which has a variety of positive effects for testing:

The necessary clamping forces to hold the specimen in place are provided by a hydraulic clamping system. A very practical feature being that no external hydraulic power unit is needed as the shear test system includes its own hydraulic system driven by standard laboratory air-pressure. This system provides enough power to allow the testing of material failure and buckling with shear flows up to 760 N/mm.