Shear testing is different from tensile and compression testing in that the forces applied are parallel to the upper and lower faces of the object under test. Materials behave differently in shear than in tension or compression, resulting in different values for strength and stiffness. Usually performed on fasteners, such as bolts, machine screws and rivets, shear testing applies a lateral shear force to the specimen until failure results.
Lap shear testing is performed to determine the shear strength of an adhesive that is applied to two metal plates and pulled to failure. It can be used to compare between adhesive types or different lots within the same adhesive.
Below are the standards that employ shear strength testing:
- ASTM D1002 – Apparent shear strength of Single-Lap-Joint Adhesively Bonded Metal Specimens by Tension Loading (Metal-to-Metal) is the most common standard DDL tests to involving shear.
- ASTM D2344 – Standard Test Method for Short-Beam Strength of Polymer Matrix Composite Materials and Their Laminates
- ASTM D3163 – Standard Test Method for Determining Strength of Adhesively Bonded Rigid Plastic Lap-Shear Joints in Shear by Tension Loading
- ASTM D3164 – Standard Test Method for Strength Properties of Adhesively Bonded Plastic Lap-Shear Sandwich Joints in Shear by Tension Loading
- ASTM D5868 – Standard Test Method for Lap Shear Adhesion for Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Bonding
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