Purpose-
To perform mechanical testing under complex loading and local stress/strain states that occur in aerospace structures during service; obtain relevant information to characterize material performance under service-like loading, including failure loads, non-destructive evaluation (NDE) results, and strain field data (digital image correlation).
Equipment/Test Method
Tension Torsion Machines (2)
-Tension loads up to 50 kips -Torsion loads up to 3 kip-inch |
Axial-Tension and Bending (ATB)
– Up to 10-kips axial loading – Transverse loading up to 4 kips |
Biaxial Test Machine
– Loads up to 225 kips in one direction; 165 kips transverse |
Uniaxial Test Machines (2)
– 100-kip machine with 4 posts allows attachment of complex load fixtures |
Typical/Recent Experiments
- ATB was developed by personnel from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to test composite rotor blade materials which are subjected to complex states of cyclic loading
- Use of ATB to reproduce cracking morphologies observed in Atlas V rocket fuel tanks
- Tension torsion testing conducted to evaluate composite rotorcraft materials under service-like loading. Materials have been tested before and after low-velocity impact damage.
- Biaxial testing done to qualify new aluminum-lithium alloy as Space Shuttle External Tank replacement alloy
