ON THE USE OF THE MICRO-INDENTATION TEST TECHNIQUE TO MEASURE THE INTERFACIAL SHEAR-STRENGTH OF FIBER-REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITES

The micro-indentation test is one of the newest techniques developed to investigate the interface properties of composite materials. The major advantage of this micromechanical test technique is the fact that real composite parts can be tested. This paper presents the results of a detailed study. Micro-indentation tests were performed on different kinds of reinforced polymer composites (carbon and glass fibres embedded in thermoplastic and thermoset matrices). The interface shear strength was back-calculated from the experimental results by using the shear-lag theory. All the results are in agreement with previous data obtained by other experimental techniques. Moreover, the paper outlines the possibilities and the limitations of the technique.