Composites/fiber-reinforced plastics are high-performance lightweight materials with high strength, low weight, excellent fatigue behavior, and great design freedom. They are mainly used in aerospace, wind energy, and automotive applications. Precise and standard-compliant testing is essential to ensure that these innovative materials can be used reliably.
Hegewald & Peschke offers a comprehensive portfolio of testing machines, grips, and accessories for the mechanical characterization of composite materials. Our testing solutions enable the standard-compliant performance of tests in accordance with ASTM, ISO, and DIN – from classic tensile, compression, and bending tests to complex composite tests. This allows mechanical properties such as strength, stiffness, fracture behavior, and fatigue resistance to be determined with precision.
In most applications, a universal testing machine from the inspekt series forms the basis for performing the various test procedures. The wide range of models with load stages from 100 N to 2500 kN allows optimal adaptation to the respective area of application and guarantees precise, standard-compliant, and reliable test results.
Testing fiber composite materials places special demands on testing systems, specimen handling, and safety. With the universal testing machines in the inspekt series, Hegewald & Peschke offers precise and flexibly adaptable solutions. Thanks to their modular design, the systems can be individually configured—for example, with suitable extensometers, grips, temperature control/climate chambers, and other accessories. This makes every inspekt testing machine a specialist for the standard-compliant testing of composite materials.
Precise specimen alignment is crucial to ensure axial loading and avoid measurement errors. The universal testing machines in the inspekt series feature stable load frames and alignment adapters for centric, angle-free clamping. Parallel-closing grips and force-holding modes enable reproducible clamping without shear forces – ideal for precise E-modulus determinations in accordance with ISO 527-1.
For sensitive specimens, such as fiber strands, clamping devices can be used to prevent premature breakage.
Since composite materials often exhibit high strength with low elongation, precise force measurement is essential. The inspekt testing machines achieve measurement accuracies up to class 0.5 according to DIN EN ISO 7500-1 or ASTM E4 – ideal for determining mechanical characteristics such as modulus of elasticity or tensile strength.
CFRP and GFRP materials are sensitive to temperature and humidity. With integrated temperature control and climate chambers, tests can be carried out in the range from –70 °C to +250 °C – either permanently mounted or flexibly on rail systems. This allows realistic simulation of practical environmental conditions.
When CFRP breaks, sharp splinters, dust, or gases are produced. To protect operating personnel, Hegewald & Peschke offers:
- Protective enclosures with electrically locked doors in accordance with EN ISO 13849-1
- Extraction systems with HEPA filters for carbon fiber dust
- Antistatic equipment and protection in accordance with IP67
Tests for composites with universal testing machines
A selection of test methods that can be performed using an inspekt 250 kN universal testing machine and suitable accessories (temperature control chamber, video extensometer, grips with coupling system for test tools).
Tensile tests:
- ASTM D3039: Tensile test on fiber-reinforced plastics
- ISO 527-4/-5: Tensile test on composites
- EN 2561: Tensile test on unidirectional laminates
- ISO 14129, ASTM D3518: 45° tensile test
Bending tests:
- ASTM D790: Three-point bending test
- ASTM-D2344: Short bending test (ILSS)
- ISO 14125: Four-point/three-point bending test
- EN 2597: Bending test on laminates
Compression tests:
- EN 2850: Compression test on unidirectional laminates
- ASTM D6641, ISO 14126: Compression test
Shear tests:
- ASTM D3518: Shear test in ±45° laminate
- ASTM-D4255: Shear tensile test (two-rail shear)
These standards are just a few of the many testing standards that you can cover with our testing machines. Contact us—we will be happy to configure a testing system that perfectly matches your testing standard or testing task.
Extensometers for composite testing
In addition to applied strain gauges, tactile or optical extensometers are often used to determine the modulus of elasticity when testing composite materials. Both clip-on extensometers and long-distance extensometers with an integrated folding mechanism for energy dissipation and a high resolution of up to 0.01 µm are used for this purpose.
Alternatively, video extensometers can be used to measure strain without contact – both macroscopically across the entire specimen and segment by segment for analyzing local strain distributions. High-resolution video technology is used to precisely measure deformations based on the natural surface structure or optionally applied measurement marks.
The DIC module (Digital Image Correlation) also enables location- and direction-dependent recording of local strains. This allows complex deformation processes to be clearly visualized and evaluated in detail during the test – a decisive advantage, especially when testing carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRP).
Rotary impact tester for highly dynamic tensile tests
The rotational impact tester allows the mechanical properties of fiber composites and technical textiles to be determined realistically at crash-relevant speeds – ideal for applications in lightweight construction and the automotive industry.
The system enables strain rates of up to 350 s⁻¹, allowing the precise determination of modulus of elasticity, tensile strength, and elongation at fracture at high loading speeds. The material characteristics generated serve as the basis for crash simulations and represent the material behavior at approximately 50 km/h (14 m/s).
The testing system works with a rotating flywheel (300 kg), whose energy is transferred to a linear slide with a specimen clamping. The actual tensile test takes only a few milliseconds – during which time force, displacement, and time data are recorded in high resolution and automatically transferred to the LabMaster testing software for further evaluation.
Contact:
Hegewald & Peschke
Meß- und Prüftechnik GmbH
Am Gründchen 1
01683 Nossen
Phone: +49 35242 445-0
Fax: +49 35242 445-111
E-Mail: info@hegewald-peschke.de
Internet: www.hegewald-peschke.com
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