Experimental Investigation of VHCF of Polymer Composites: Two Alternative Approaches*

The need for reliable fatigue predictions arises with an increasing application of fibre-reinforced composites in primary light-weight structures with intended service times of up to 30 years. Only few data about very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) of polymer composites are available, because VHCF testing is rather challenging due to time consuming tests. Moreover, problems arise when testing at high frequencies. Two alternative approaches are presented in this article, a bending test rig for high-frequency testing of flat specimens and a resonant test rig for tube specimens.