Methods of determination of shear properties of textile composites

Shear properties of four types of composites possessing no planes of weak shear strength and stiffness are experimentally investigated. Shear characteristics measured by Iosipescu test and/or its modification Asymmetrical Four-Point Bending (AFPB) are compared with experimental results obtained in the work by seven other shear tests developed for the determination of shear modulus and shear strength of fibrous and layered composites. One of the article's purposes is to estimate an applicability of Iosipescu and AFPB tests for the determination of shear properties of textile composites fabricated by different processing methods. A long-standing experience of investigations of 3-D textile composites accumulated in the Institute of Polymer Mechanics is generalized in the paper.