Influence of Specimen Features on the Strength of Boron/Epoxy-Reinforced Metal

Abstract Experimental results are presented which indicate that the ultimate tensile strength of aluminum reinforced with boron/epoxy composite may be significantly affected by the configuration of the specimen, and whether it was individually laid-up or cut from a larger piece of material. Coupon specimens which were individually laid-up exhibited strengths close to that predicted by theory. However, specimens cut from large plates had strengths about 36 percent of predicted values. All specimens had a one-half inch (12.7 mm) wide gage section. For individually laid-up specimens, it was found that specimens which were loaded through fiberglass tabs yielded higher ultimate tensile strengths than modified dogbone specimens with load introduction through stepped load-transfer regions. Machining along the edges was found to have little influence on the strength of the specimens used in this study.