Experimental Study On Z-Pinned DCB Mode I Delamination

An experimental investigation on mode I delamination of z-pinned double-cantilever-beams (DCB) and corresponding pin pullout behaviour is presented. The effects of loading rate on delamination crack opening and z-pin bridging mechanisms is reported. Optical micrographs of z-pins after pullout show that a higher loading rate causes more splitting damage in the pins. Comparison of fracture load shows that the fracture load rises with increasing loading rate. Z-pin pullout tests were also conducted to give a detailed description of z-pin bridging mechanisms