Papers by Author: Dragos Alexandru Apostol

Abstract: Static loading and impact tests of ceramic alumina tiles have shown a very interesting behaviour of tough, brittle, and high energy absorbing materials. Strain gauges techniques and data acquisition were used in previous research for static and low velocity impact testing. A static-dynamic equivalence was done through a calibration procedure of the measuring system. The research is continued in this paper by using the digital image correlation method with the complete displacement and strain history acquired till the failure of the ceramic tiles of different compositions, proving the capacity of such materials to be used for particular purpose applications.

Abstract: Interface damage characterization and interlaminar failure of sandwich specimens with two initial interlaminar defects (inserts) is done by using the digital image correlation method. Mode I tests reveal interesting particularities on damage localization and unstable crack propagation. After analyzing the experimentally obtained results, we propose as a failure parameter the local strain at the crack tip or, alternatively, the crack tip opening displacement which quantifies the non-linear phenomena.