Non-conventional Fibre Metal Laminate Crack Growth Data

Fatigue crack growth tests performed on non-conventional fibre metal laminates on the MTS 250 kN, at the Delft Aerospace Structures and Materials Laboratory (DASML) at a frequency of 10 Hz. The crack on one side is measured by a digital camera. From this picture, in which measuring tape is included, the crack length is determined. The crack length on the other side of the specimen is measured by making use of Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The advantage of using DIC is that, in addition to the crack length, the delamination is also measured. The digital camera and the DIC cameras are linked to each other and triggered at the same time to make measurements. When the pictures are taken, the maximum load is held for several seconds in order to have sharp pictures when the crack is best visible.