Further development of the losipescu shear test method

Recent activities by the present investigators to further develop the losipescu-shear-test method for use with composite materials are summarized. Finite-element analyses used to predict the stress states in the specimen are described, with particular emphasis on how they are influenced by the specific test-fixture configuration used. These same analytical tools were also used to predict the influence of specimen notch depth, notch angle, and notch-root radius. The result was a redesign of the original Wyoming version of the losipescu-shear-test fixture, and the establishment of guidelines for preparing specimens. These are discussed in some detail. Many references to available literature are included. An attempt has been made to put the work performed to date into perspective, to aid the potential user of the losipescu-shear-test method in establishing proper test procedures.