Imaging systems for measuring surface displacement and strain fields such as stereoscopic Digital Image Correlation (DIC) are increasingly used in industry to validate model simulations. Recently, CEN has published a guideline for validation that is based on image decomposition to compare predicted and measured data fields. The CEN guideline was evaluated in an inter-laboratory study that demonstrated its usefulness in laboratory environments. This paper addresses the incorporation of the CEN methodology into an industrial environment and reports progress of the H2020 Clean Sky 2 project MOTIVATE. First, while DIC is a well-established technique, the estimation of its measurement uncertainty in an industrial environment is still being discussed, as the current approach to rely on the calibration uncertainty is insufficient. Second, in view of the push towards virtual testing it is important to harvest existing data in the course of the V&V activities before requesting a dedicated validation experiment, specifically at higher levels of the test pyramid. Finally, it is of uttermost importance to ensure compatibility and comparability of the simulation and measurement data so as to optimize the test matrix for maximum reliability and credibility of the simulations and a quantification of the model quality.

In the current work, a combined non destructive methodology is proposed in order to investigate the static and fatigue damage of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites. Flat angle-ply laminates are used in order to examine the influence of multiaxial stress states on the mechanical performance using different non destructive techniques. Acoustic emission is combined with an online microscope and digital image correlation and this combination is used to comprehend the performance of composites with unequal stress states.

Prefabricated and non-load bearing sandwich façade elements were developed using Textile Reinforced Reactive Powder Concrete (TRRPC) along with low density Foamed Concrete (FC) and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) continuous connecting devices. Four-point bending tests were performed on large-scale TRRPC sandwich element beams to characterize the structural performance, which included the flexural capacity, level of composite action, resulting deformation, crack propagation and failure mechanisms. Optical measurements based on Digital Image Correlation (DIC) were taken simultaneously to enable a detailed analysis of the underlying composite action. The structural behavior of the developed elements was found to be highly dependent on the stiffness and strength of the connectors to ensure composite action between the two TRRPC panels.

The objective of this work is to build a quantitative relationship between the fiber break as source of Acoustic Emission (AE) and the detected signal by unravelling the effect of each stage of the AE acquisition chain. For this purpose, an AE modelling is carried out using the Finite Element Method and then the simulation is compared to experimental results of Single Fiber Fragmentation Test (SFFT). The SFFT is used in order to produce preferential fiber break. It is carried out on specimens made from a long carbon fiber embedded in epoxy/amine matrix. Two different types of sensor are used in order to gather information on a wider frequency bandwidth. For the modeling part, the entire geometry of the specimen is modelled using Finite Element Method. There is a good agreement between experiment and modeling results.

A fast adoption of innovative composite materials such as textile reinforced concrete (TRC) in practice is hindered by the lack of efficient and standardized characterization and design procedures. In this paper, we discuss results of uniaxial tensile tests and double sided pullout tests. The analysis of the tests is done with a modelling framework for tensile behavior developed at IMB RWTH Aachen. The overall goal is to simulate the tensile response of composite specimen based on the reinforcement and matrix characteristics. Thus, the need for cost-intensive composite tensile tests could be reduced, which facilitates the material development and adoption of TRC in engineering practice.

Digital image correlation has been used, in conjunction with Mode I and Mode II fracture mechanics tests under static and dynamic loading conditions, to determine the position of the crack front during interlaminar testing. A MATLAB code has been developed to post process the digital image correlation analysis to determine the experimentally measured crack position and these results have been compared to compliance-based predictions of crack position which do not use a physical measure of the crack length. Results have shown that the digital image correlation analysis has successfully tracked the crack position providing a physical measure of the crack front during static and dynamic testing for the calculation of fracture toughness values. This methodology, incorporating digital image correlation for crack position monitoring, was then expanded to analyses for fatigue tests showing that the physical crack length has a varied growth rate in comparison to the steady change in specimen compliance.

This research aims to investigate the monotonic and cyclic pull-out behavior of steel fibres by means of advanced non-destructive testing methods (NDT). Forty individually embedded steel fibres in a concrete matrix are tested in a pull-out setup with continuous acoustic emission monitoring and X-ray microfocus computed tomography is applied before, during and after testing. The developed setup allows to improve and to better control the experiments. The combination of NDT methods leads to a deeper insight compared to the traditional pull-out tests, by inspection of deviating results, detection of the pull-out stages, and localization of internal damage combined with visualization of the internal structure.

Textile reinforced cements (TRC), combining a cementitious matrix with fibre textiles, are a well-researched subject in literature. The material offers several advantages such as the design of low-weight, slender structures. However, one of the main drawbacks of this composite material is the time consuming manufacturing process using two dimensional fibre textiles. Three dimensional fibre textile architectures offer a solution to this problem, while retaining the TRC advantages. Most 3D fibre textiles use distance holders to bridge two, or more textile layers at a certain distance from each other. The influence of this distance holder on the mechanical properties of the whole TRC remains relatively unstudied in literature and will be the research topic of this paper. This research will present the results of three point bending experiments, performed on short TRC beams with a length to thickness ratio of approximately 4 to 1. A comparison is drawn between 3D TRC with fully operational 3D fibre textiles and 2D TRC with the same textile geometry and orientation, but without distance holders. A positive influence on the flexural response is witnessed for the 3D fibre textile, with an increased flexural stiffness up to 35%.

Poly(urethane-urea) (PUU) has been infused into ultrahigh volume fraction carbon nanotube (CNT) forests using a heat-curable polymer formula. Polymer nanocomposites with carbon nanotube volume-fractions of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 30% were fabricated by overcoming densification and infusion obstacles. These polymer nanocomposites were nanoindented quasi-statically and dynamically to discern process-structure-(mechanical) property relations of polymerizing PUU in such densely-packed CNT forests. A 100× increase in indentation modulus has been observed, which is attributed not only to CNT reinforcement of the matrix, but also to molecular interactions in the matrix itself. Quasi-static elastic moduli ranging from 10MPa – 4.5GPa have been recorded. Storage modulus for all materials is found to track well at loadings of 200Hz, with little effect observed from increasing CNT volume fraction.

Nowadays, high performance concrete is used more frequently because of the many advantages compared to traditional concrete. The higher mechanical properties (e.g. compressive strength, flexural strength, and Young’s modulus) allow for larger spans and slender cross-sections. Despite the use of advanced material, standards for structural design do not fully use materials’ potential. This can be minimized by using fracture mechanical properties in structural analysis. The fracture mechanical properties help to perform advanced structural analysis, especially when some of the structural elements have a crack. The load presence on the structure can be divided into tensile - mode I, shear - mode II, and combination of tension and shear - mixed mode I/II load. Therefore, it is necessary to perform test, which covers mixed mode loading conditions. One of the tests usually used for the evaluation of fracture resistance of concrete is Brazilian disc test. This contribution compares fracture resistance of two types of structural concrete (normal and high strength) under the mixed mode I/II. The generalized maximum tangential stress (GMTS) criterion was used for the evaluation of the fracture resistance.