Characterization of the Failure and Effect of Carbon Fiber-reinforced Composites on the Cracking in Cement Constructions Part II: Shearing Behavior of Material and Adhesive

In this study the laminated composite materials are designed such that the individual plies add to the whole material strength. The plies may be oriented at different angles selected in accordance with the final end use. When dealing with the laminated composites, the delamination and the interlaminar fracture affects the mechanical performance of the whole material. When such materials are adhered to the same or different materials by an adhesive bonding, the loads are transferred in-between, by shear. In this work, fiber-carbon fabrics and the carbon reinforced epoxy laminates are made to join two cement—s and substrates in different angles of alignment to the loading direction and in different laminate designations, both at three different gage lengths. A newly designed clamping system is used to carry out the shearing test. The shearing behavior is discussed and the fracture photographs are presented in this study. The fabrics laid at −45° are damaged without any adhesive fracture, and those laid at 90 and +45° show the fabric fracture followed by the joint fracture on the one hand, and on the other hand, either the fabric damage or the joint fracture occurs depending on the gage length used every time. The substrate failure mode is noticed in the angle-ply laminated composite materials in both of their designations and at all the gage lengths used. However, the [0°, +45°, −45°] designated laminate shows the maximum shear modulus with the largest gage length.