Static and dynamic testing of textile-reinforced composite compliant structures under shear-force-free bending load
Niels Modler, Karl-Heinz Modler, Werner A. Hufenbach, Jörn Jaschinski, Marco Zichner Thomas Heber, Anja Winkler
Quarterly No. 4, 2011 pages 352-356
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abstract High-performance applications in mechanical engineering and vehicle construction increasingly have to fulfil high demands concerning passenger comfort and the conservation of natural resources. Therefore, lightweight structures made of textile-reinforced composites exhibit a considerable application potential due to their inherently wide-ranging ability for function integration and design freedom. Additionally, the use of so-called compliant elements with specifically adjustable compliances offers the possibility to transmit motions simply by means of structural deformations. For the investigation of the deformation behaviour of such composite compliant hinge mechanisms as well as for the analysis of anisotropism-related coupling effects of multilayered composites, bending free of shear force can be used advantageously. This paper makes a contribution to the efficient cyclic testing of textile-reinforced compliant structures. Thus, a novel kinematic test rig has been developed, which can be utilized for the static and dynamic bending tests of composite (strip shaped) beam specimens. The main unit is a multifunctional six-membered linkage that allows a moment's application free of shear force by providing a pure bending load. The design studies mainly focus on the mechanical adaptation of an appropriate mathematical characterized mechanism to the trajectory of the movable restraint point. Furthermore, basic test results in consideration of the moment, force, and deformation of textile-reinforced compliant hinges are shown and evaluated with the help of computer tomography.