Aircraft Structural Mechanics Lab

Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT-Bombay

Lab Manual Series - M.Tech. 05 Batch

EXPERIMENT 4: FLEXURE TEST

Title:
Determination of the modulus of elasticity and the flexural strength of E-glass/epoxy woven and
unidirectional composites using three point bending method as per ASTM D790.
Objectives:
This experiment is modeled to
1. Understand the construction and operation of a Universal Testing Machine (U.T.M).
2. Compare the three point bending and four point bending tests.
3. Finding the flexural strength and modulus of elasticity of the composites.
Equipments used:
1. Steel Rule
2. Vernier calipers
3. Commercial UTM of 50 kN capacity with maximum 1% loading and displacement error
Test Specimens:
1. E-glass/Epoxy woven fabric composites of fibre volume fraction Vf =
2. Unidirectional composite of fibre volume fraction Vf =
Theoretical Background:
Universal Testing Machine: The UTM we are using here is a product of HounsfieldTM with a
maximum load up to 50kN, a speed accuracy of 0.05%, Force accuracy of 0.5% of maximum
load expected. This machine meets the ASTM D 790 standards according to which error in load
measuring system should not exceed 1% of maximum load expected and should be equipped
with deflection measuring device. This machine can be used to perform the Tension,
Compression, Flexure, and Shear test on Composites, Metals, and Plastics. It is fully
computerized machine.
The loading nose and supports have cylindrical surfaces with the minimum radius of the loading
nose as 3.2 mm and maximum radius should not exceed 4 times the specimen depth. The support
and nose in our laboratory are meeting these requirements and can be used for this test.
1

Aircraft Structural Mechanics Lab

Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT-Bombay
Lab Manual Series - M.Tech. 05 Batch
According to ASTM, Micrometers of least count of at least 0.025 m must be used to take the
measurements of the specimen and the least count of the micrometer in our lab is 0.02 mm.

Flexure Test: Unidirectional carbon-epoxy composites are commonly used for advanced
applications, such as blade, where specific strength and stiffness are the properties sought.
Bending and tension are both major forms of loading for this type of components. The ability to
predict the strength of components subject to bending, tension, compression and shear or a
combination of these is, therefore, of significant practical interest. The bending test used to a
large extent for testing and evaluation the strength properties of composite materials, although it
typically induces tensile, compressive, and shear stresses simultaneously. The flexure test
method measures behavior of material subjected to simple beam loading. It is also called a
transverse beam test.
A flexure test produces tensile stress in the convex side of the specimen and compression stress
in the concave side. This creates an area of shear stress along the midline. To ensure that the
primary failure comes from tensile or compression stress must be minimized. This is done by
controlling the span to depth ratio; the length of the outer span divided by the height (depth) of
the specimen. For most materials S/d=16 is acceptable. Some materials require S/d=32 to 64 to
keep the shear stress low enough.
The flexural tests (three- and four-point) are popular, because of the simplicity of both specimen
preparation and testing. The usual objective of flexure test is to determine the flexural modulus
of the beam material. The basic difference between the two test methods in the location of the
maximum bending moment and maximum axial fibre stresses. Depending on the material
rigidity, stiffness, or specifications either a 3-point or 4-point configuration is used. In a 3 point
test, the shear force varies continuously over the length of the specimen changing its sign at the
mid point. As a result, the bending moment is not constant over the section and the stresses
obtained by use of bending theory may be less accurate. In a 4-point test, the shear stress is zero
at between the load points and thus bending moment is constant. This is the case of pure bending
and this is expected to give accurate results. The figures below compare the 3 point and 4 point
bending tests. The effect of testing parameters on the three-point bend testing of E-glass fibre
reinforced epoxy resin woven and unidirectional composites are found in this lab.

Aircraft Structural Mechanics Lab

Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT-Bombay
Lab Manual Series - M.Tech. 05 Batch

SFD

BMD

Fig. 1: Three point bending test

Fig. 2: Four point bending test

Procedure:
To find the flexure strength:
1. Measure the width and depth of the specimens nearest to 0.03 mm at the center of support
span. Determine the length and set the support span within 1% of the value.
2. Set the machine to the specified rate of crosshead motion on 3 mm/min for the composite
specimen.
3. Align the loading nose and supports so that the axes of the cylindrical surfaces are
parallel and the loading nose is midway between the supports. The parallelism may be
checked by means of plate with paralleled groves into which the loading nose and
supports will fit when properly aligned.
4. Apply the load to specimen at a specified crosshead motion and take simultaneous load
deflection data.
5. Terminate the test when the specimen fails in flexure.
To find the Elastic Modulus:
1. Measure the width and depth of the specimens nearest to 0.03 mm at the center of support
span. Determine the length and set the support span within 1% of the value.

Aircraft Structural Mechanics Lab

Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT-Bombay
Lab Manual Series - M.Tech. 05 Batch
2. Set the machine to the specified rate of crosshead motion on 1 mm/min for the composite
specimen.
3. Align the loading nose and supports so that the axes of the cylindrical surfaces are
parallel and the loading nose is midway between the supports. The parallelism may be
checked by means of plate with paralleled groves into which the loading nose and
supports will fit when properly aligned.
4. Apply the load to specimen at a specified crosshead motion and take simultaneous load
deflection data.
5. Terminate the test when the specimen has a deflection of 12 mm.
Observations:
The following observations are noted down in the tabular form which would be necessary for the
calculation of flexure strength and elastic modulus.
Specimen Width
(mm)

Thickness
(mm)

Length
(mm)

Specimen Name:
Load (kN)

Deflection (mm)

Calculations:
The flexural strength of the specimen is given by the formula

f =

3PL
N / mm 2
2
2bd

The modulus of elasticity of the given specimen is given by the formula

EB =

mL3
N / mm 2
3
4bd

Where, P: load at given point on load -deflection curve in N

L: Length of the beam in mm
b: Width of the beam in mm
d: Thickness of the specimen in mm
m: Slope of load vs. central deflection curve

Aircraft Structural Mechanics Lab

Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT-Bombay
Lab Manual Series - M.Tech. 05 Batch
Results:

The flexural strength of each specimen is tabulated in this table:

Specimen

Width
(mm)

Thickness
(mm)

Max Load
(N)

Max Defl.
(mm)

Flexural Strength
(MPa)

The Elastic modulus of each specimen tested is tabulated in this table:

Specimen

Width
(mm)

Thickness
(mm)

Length
(mm)

Slope
(mm)

Modulus of Elasticity
(MPa)

For E-glass/Epoxy woven fiber composite with fiber volume fraction of

1. The average Young's modulus in longitudinal direction of the specimen is
2. Average flexural strength is
For E-glass/Epoxy UD composite with fiber volume fraction of
1.

The average Young's modulus in longitudinal direction of the specimen is

2.

Average flexural strength is

Report the Conclusions and Comment

Graphs:

Plot the graph between the load and the deflection for obtaining the modulus of elasticity as the
slope of the graph and the flexural strength.
Exercise:

1. What are the different fixtures used in an UTM (Flexure and tension test)?
2. Why is the overhang required in the specimen?
3. What if S/d ratio is >16?
4. What are the limitations on the crosshead motion speed?
References:

[1] ASTM D790-99 Standard Test Methods for Flexural Properties of un-reinforced and
Reinforced Plastics and Electrical Insulating Materials