Longitudinal flexure as a method for determining the flexural strength of composite materials

A method is presented for determining the flexural strength of composites from tests on pinned specimens in axial compression. This scheme is close to the so-called Euler buckling model, but the load is applied eccentrically, and the bar is bent practically from the beginning of loading. An analytical model is proposed for calculating the flexural stress in longitudinal flexure of a thin bar in the case of large displacements. The problem is solved in elliptic integrals of the first and second kinds. The analytical model shows an excellent agreement with experiments. The results obtained are compared with experimental tension data. A device is also designed for testing composite bars in longitudinal flexure. The method offered has an obvious advantage over the conventional three- or four-point bending - the gage zone in this scheme is far away from the loading zone of the lest specimen.