Designation: C393/C393M – 11´1

Standard Test Method for

Core Shear Properties of Sandwich Constructions by Beam
Flexure1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation C393/C393M; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year
of original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.
A superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.

´1 NOTE—Sections 7 and 11 were editorially corrected in February 2012.

1. Scope D5229/D5229M Test Method for Moisture Absorption

1.1 This test method covers determination of the core shear Properties and Equilibrium Conditioning of Polymer Ma-
properties of flat sandwich constructions subjected to flexure in trix Composite Materials
such a manner that the applied moments produce curvature of D7249/D7249M Test Method for Facing Properties of
the sandwich facing planes. Permissible core material forms Sandwich Constructions by Long Beam Flexure
include those with continuous bonding surfaces (such as balsa D7250/D7250M Practice for Determining Sandwich Beam
wood and foams) as well as those with discontinuous bonding Flexural and Shear Stiffness
surfaces (such as honeycomb). E4 Practices for Force Verification of Testing Machines
1.2 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units E6 Terminology Relating to Methods of Mechanical Testing
are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in E122 Practice for Calculating Sample Size to Estimate,
each system may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each With Specified Precision, the Average for a Characteristic
system shall be used independently of the other. Combining of a Lot or Process
values from the two systems may result in non-conformance E177 Practice for Use of the Terms Precision and Bias in
with the standard. ASTM Test Methods
1.2.1 Within the text the inch-pound units are shown in E456 Terminology Relating to Quality and Statistics
brackets. E1309 Guide for Identification of Fiber-Reinforced
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the Polymer-Matrix Composite Materials in Databases
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the E1434 Guide for Recording Mechanical Test Data of Fiber-
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- Reinforced Composite Materials in Databases
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- 3. Terminology
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
3.1 Definitions—Terminology D3878 defines terms relating
2. Referenced Documents to high-modulus fibers and their composites. Terminology
2.1 ASTM Standards:2 C274 defines terms relating to structural sandwich construc-
C273 Test Method for Shear Properties of Sandwich Core tions. Terminology D883 defines terms relating to plastics.
Materials Terminology E6 defines terms relating to mechanical testing.
C274 Terminology of Structural Sandwich Constructions Terminology E456 and Practice E177 define terms relating to
D883 Terminology Relating to Plastics statistics. In the event of a conflict between terms, Terminology
D3878 Terminology for Composite Materials D3878 shall have precedence over the other terminologies.
3.2 Symbols:
b = specimen width
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D30 on c = core thickness
Composite Materials and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D30.09 on CV = coefficient of variation statistic of a sample population
Sandwich Construction.
Current edition approved Oct. 1, 2011. Published November 2011. Originally for a given property (in percent)
approved in 1957. Last previous edition approved in 2006 as C393 – 06. DOI: d = sandwich total thickness
10.1520/C0393_C0393M-11.
2
DF,nom = effective sandwich flexural stiffness
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, [Link], or
Ef = effective facing chord modulus
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@[Link]. For Annual Book of ASTM
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on ´ = measuring strain in facing
the ASTM website. Fu = facing ultimate strength (tensile or compressive)

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 C393/C393M – 11´1
Fc = core compression allowable strength development applications; it may also be used as a quality
Fs = core shear allowable strength control test for bonded sandwich panels.
Fsult = core shear ultimate strength 5.6 Factors that influence the shear strength and shall
Fsyield = core shear yield strength therefore be reported include the following: facing material,
k = core shear strength factor to ensure core failure core material, adhesive material, methods of material fabrica-
L = length of loading span tion, core geometry (cell size), core density, adhesive thick-
S = length of support span ness, specimen geometry, specimen preparation, specimen
lpad = length of loading pad conditioning, environment of testing, specimen alignment,
n = number of specimens loading procedure, speed of testing, and adhesive void content.
P = applied force Further, core-to-facing strength may be different between
Pmax = maximum force carried by test specimen before precured/bonded and co-cured facings in sandwich panels with
failure the same core and facing material.
FZftu = ultimate flatwise tensile strength NOTE 2—Concentrated loads on beams with thin facings and low
Pmax = maximum force carried by test specimen before density cores can produce results that are difficult to interpret, especially
failure close to the failure point. Wider load pads with rubber pads may assist in
Sn-1 = standard deviation statistic of a sample population for distributing the loads.
a given property
6. Interferences
s = facing stress or strength
t = facing thickness 6.1 Material and Specimen Preparation—Poor material
x1 = test result for an individual specimen from the sample fabrication practices and damage induced by improper speci-
population for a given property men machining are known causes of high data scatter in
x = mean or average (estimate of mean) of a sample popu- composites and sandwich structures in general. A specific
lation for a given property material factor that affects sandwich cores is variability in core
density. Important aspects of sandwich core specimen prepa-
4. Summary of Test Method ration that contribute to data scatter include the existence of
4.1 This test method consists of subjecting a beam of joints, voids or other core discontinuities, out-of-plane curva-
sandwich construction to a bending moment normal to the ture, and surface roughness.
plane of the sandwich. Force versus deflection measurements 6.2 Geometry—Specific geometric factors that affect core
are recorded. shear strength include core orthotropy (that is, ribbon versus
4.2 The only acceptable failure modes are core shear or transverse direction for honeycomb core materials) and core
core-to-facing bond. Failure of the sandwich facing preceding cell geometry.
failure of the core or core-to-facing bond is not an acceptable 6.3 Environment—Results are affected by the environmen-
failure mode. Use Test Method D7249/D7249M to determine tal conditions under which specimens are conditioned, as well
facing strength. as the conditions under which the tests are conducted. Speci-
mens tested in various environments can exhibit significant
5. Significance and Use differences in both strength behavior and failure mode. Critical
environments must be assessed independently for each specific
5.1 Flexure tests on flat sandwich construction may be combination of core material, facing material, and core-to-
conducted to determine the sandwich flexural stiffness, the core facing interfacial adhesive (if used) that is tested.
shear strength and shear modulus, or the facings compressive 6.4 Core Material—If the core material has insufficient
and tensile strengths. Tests to evaluate core shear strength may shear or compressive strength, it is possible that the core may
also be used to evaluate core-to-facing bonds. locally crush at or near the loading points, thereby resulting in
5.2 This test method is limited to obtaining the core shear facing failure due to local stresses. In other cases, facing failure
strength or core-to-facing shear strength and the stiffness of the can cause local core crushing. When there is both facing and
sandwich beam, and to obtaining load-deflection data for use in core failure in the vicinity of one of the loading points it can be
calculating sandwich beam flexural and shear stiffness using difficult to determine the failure sequence in a post-mortem
Practice D7250/D7250M. inspection of the specimen as the failed specimens look very
NOTE 1—Core shear strength and shear modulus are best determined in similar for both sequences. For some core materials, the shear
accordance with Test Method C273 provided bare core material is strength is a function of the direction that the core is oriented
available. relative to the length of the specimen.
5.3 Facing strength is best determined in accordance with
7. Apparatus
Test Method D7249/D7249M.
5.4 Practice D7250/D7250M covers the determination of 7.1 Micrometers and Calipers—A micrometer having a flat
sandwich flexural and shear stiffness and core shear modulus anvil interface, or a caliper of suitable size, shall be used. The
using calculations involving measured deflections of sandwich instrument(s) shall have an accuracy of 6.025 mm [60.001
flexure specimens. in.] for thickness measurement, and an accuracy of 60.254
5.5 This test method can be used to produce core shear mm [60.010 in.] for length and width measurement.
strength and core-to-facing shear strength data for structural NOTE 3—The accuracies given above are based on achieving measure-
design allowables, material specifications, and research and ments that are within 1 % of the sample length, width and thickness.

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 C393/C393M – 11´1
7.2 Loading Fixtures—The loading fixture shall consist of
either a 3-point or 4-point loading configuration with two
support bars that span the specimen width located below the
specimen, and one or two loading bars that span the specimen
width located on the top of the specimen (Fig. 1), The force
shall be applied vertically through the loading bar(s), with the
support bars fixed in place in the test machine.
7.2.1 Standard Configuration—The standard loading fixture
shall be a 3-point configuration and shall have the centerlines
of the support bars separated by a distance of 150 mm [6.0 in.].
7.2.2 Non-Standard Configurations—All other loading fix-
ture configurations are considered non-standard, and details of FIG. 2 Sandwich Panel Thickness Dimensions
the fixture geometry shall be documented in the test report. Fig.
3 shows a typical 4-point short beam test fixture. Non-standard
3- and 4-point loading configurations have been retained within
this standard (a) for historical continuity with previous ver-
sions of Test Method C393, (b) because some sandwich panel

(a) 3-Point Loading (Standard Configuration)

FIG. 3 Short Beam—4-Point (Third-Span) Short Beam

Loading Configuration

designs require the use of non-standard loading configurations

to achieve core or bond failure modes, and (c) load-deflection
data from non-standard configurations may be used with
Practice D7250/D7250M to obtain sandwich beam flexural and
shear stiffnesses.
7.2.3 Support and Loading Bars—The bars shall be de-
signed to allow free rotation of the specimen at the loading and
(b) 4-Point Loading (Non-Standard Configuration) support points. The bars shall have sufficient stiffness to avoid
significant deflection of the bars under load; any obvious
Configuration Support Span (S) Load Span (L) bowing of the bars or any gaps occurring between the bars and
Standard 3-Point (Mid-Span) 150 mm [6.0 in.] 0.0
Non-Standard 4-Point (Quarter-Span) S S/2
the test specimen during loading shall be considered significant
4-Point (Third-Span) S S/3 deflection. The recommended configuration has a 25 mm [1.0
in.] wide flat steel loading block to contact the specimen
FIG. 1 Loading Configurations (through rubber pressure pads) and is loaded via either a

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 C393/C393M – 11´1
cylindrical pivot or a V-shaped bar riding in a V-groove in the 8. Sampling and Test Specimen
top of the flat-bottomed steel loading pad. The tips of the 8.1 Sampling—Test at least five specimens per test condi-
V-shaped loading bars shall have a minimum radius of 3 mm tion unless valid results can be gained through the use of fewer
[0.12 in.]. The V-groove in the loading pad shall have a radius specimens, as in the case of a designed experiment. For
larger than the loading bar tip and the angular opening of the statistically significant data, consult the procedures outlined in
groove shall be such that the sides of the loading bars do not Practice E122. Report the method of sampling.
contact the sides of the V-groove during the test. Loading bars 8.2 Geometry—The standard specimen configuration
consisting of 25 mm [1.0 in.] diameter steel cylinders may also should be used whenever the specimen design equations in
be used, but there is a greater risk of local specimen crushing 8.2.3 indicate that the specimen will produce the desired core
with cylindrical bars. Also, the load and support span lengths or core-to-facing bond failure mode. In cases where the
tend to increase as the specimen deflects when cylindrical standard specimen configuration will not produce a desired
loading bars without V-grooved loading pads are used (for failure, a non-standard specimen shall be designed to produce
example, rolling supports). a core or bond failure mode.
7.2.4 Pressure Pads—Rubber pressure pads having a Shore 8.2.1 Standard Configuration—The test specimen shall be
A durometer of approximately 60, a nominal width of 25 mm rectangular in cross section, with a width of 75 mm [3.0 in.]
[1.0 in.], a nominal thickness of 3 mm [0.125 in.] and spanning and a length of 200 mm [8.0 in.]. The depth of the specimen
the full width of the specimen shall be used between the shall be equal to the thickness of the sandwich construction.
loading bars and specimen to prevent local damage to the 8.2.2 Non-Standard Configurations—For non-standard
facings. specimen geometries the width shall be not less than twice the
7.3 Testing Machine—The testing machine shall be in total thickness nor more than six times the total thickness, not
accordance with Practices E4 and shall satisfy the following less than three times the dimension of a core cell, nor greater
requirements: than one half the span length. The specimen length shall be
equal to the support span length plus 50 mm [2 in.] or plus one
7.3.1 Testing Machine Configuration—The testing machine
half the sandwich thickness, whichever is the greater. Limita-
shall have both an essentially stationary head and a movable
tions on the maximum specimen width are intended to allow
head.
for the use of simplified sandwich beam calculations; plate
7.3.2 Drive Mechanism—The testing machine drive mecha- flexure effects must be considered for specimens that are wider
nism shall be capable of imparting to the movable head a than the restrictions specified above.
controlled velocity with respect to the stationary head. The 8.2.3 Specimen Design—Proper design of the sandwich
velocity of the movable head shall be capable of being flexure test specimen for determining shear strength of the core
regulated in accordance with 11.4. or core-to-facing bond is required to avoid facing failures. The
7.3.3 Force Indicator—The testing machine force-sensing facings must be sufficiently thick and/or the support span
device shall be capable of indicating the total force being sufficiently short such that transverse shear forces are produced
carried by the test specimen. This device shall be essentially at applied forces low enough so that the allowable facing stress
free from inertia lag at the specified rate of testing and shall will not be exceeded. However, if the facings are too thick, the
indicate the force with an accuracy over the force range(s) of transverse shear force will be carried to a considerable extent
interest of within 61 % of the indicated value. by the facings, thus leading to a high apparent core shear
7.4 Deflectometer—The deflection of the specimen shall be strength as computed by the equations given in this standard.
measured in the center of the support span by a properly The following equations can be used to size the test specimen
calibrated device having an accuracy of 61 % or better. (these equations assume that both facings have the same
thickness and modulus, and that the facing thickness is small
NOTE 4—The use of crosshead or actuator displacement for the beam relative to the core thickness [t/c # ~0.10]):
mid-span deflection produces inaccurate results, particularly for 4-point The support span length shall satisfy:
loading configurations; the direct measurement of the deflection of the
mid-span of the beam must be made by a suitable instrument. 2kst
S# F 1L (1)
s
7.5 Conditioning Chamber—When conditioning materials
at non-laboratory environments, a temperature/vapor-level or, the core shear strength shall satisfy:
controlled environmental conditioning chamber is required that 2kst
Fs # (2)
shall be capable of maintaining the required temperature to ~S – L!
within 63°C [65°F] and the required relative humidity level The core compression strength shall satisfy:
to within 63 %. Chamber conditions shall be monitored either 2~c 1 t!st
on an automated continuous basis or on a manual basis at Fc $
~S – L!lpad
(3)
regular intervals.
7.6 Environmental Test Chamber—An environmental test where:
chamber is required for test environments other than ambient S = support span length, mm [in.],
testing laboratory conditions. This chamber shall be capable of L = loading span length, mm [in.] (L = 0 for 3-point
maintaining the gage section of the test specimen at the loading),
s = expected facing ultimate strength, MPa [psi],
required test environment during the mechanical test.

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 C393/C393M – 11´1

t = facing thickness, mm [in.], 10.2 The pre-test specimen conditioning process, to include
c = core thickness, specified environmental exposure levels and resulting moisture
Fs = estimated core shear strength, MPa [psi], content, shall be reported with the test data.
k = facing strength factor to ensure core failure (recom-
NOTE 5—The term moisture, as used in Test Method D5229/D5229M,
mend k = 0.75), includes not only the vapor of a liquid and its condensate, but the liquid
lpad = dimension of loading pad in specimen lengthwise itself in large quantities, as for immersion.
direction, mm [in.], and
Fc = core compression allowable strength, MPa [psi]. 10.3 If no explicit conditioning process is performed the
8.3 Facings: specimen conditioning process shall be reported as “uncondi-
8.3.1 Layup—The apparent flexural stiffness obtained from tioned” and the moisture content as “unknown”.
this method may be dependent upon the facing stacking
11. Procedure
sequence, albeit to a much lesser degree than is typical for
laminate flexure. For the standard test configuration, facings 11.1 Parameters to Be Specified Before Test:
consisting of a laminated composite material shall be balanced 11.1.1 The specimen sampling method, specimen geometry,
and symmetric about the sandwich beam mid-plane. and conditioning travelers (if required).
8.3.2 Stiffness—For the standard specimen, the facings shall 11.1.2 The properties and data reporting format desired.
be the same material, thickness and layup. The calculations 11.1.3 The environmental conditioning test parameters.
assume constant and equal upper and lower facing stiffness 11.1.4 The nominal thicknesses of the facing materials.
properties. This assumption may not be applicable for certain NOTE 6—Determine specific material property, accuracy, and data
facing materials (such as aramid fiber composites) which have reporting requirements prior to test for proper selection of instrumentation
significantly different tensile and compressive moduli or which and data recording equipment. Estimate the specimen strength to aid in
exhibit significant non-linear stress-strain behavior. transducer selection, calibration of equipment, and determination of
8.3.3 Facing Thickness—Accurate measurement of facing equipment settings.
thickness is difficult after bonding or co-curing of the facings 11.2 General Instructions:
and core. The test requestor is responsible for specifying the 11.2.1 Report any deviations from this test method, whether
facing thicknesses to be used for the calculations in this test intentional or inadvertent.
method. For metallic or precured composite facings which are 11.2.2 Condition the specimens as required. Store the speci-
secondarily bonded to the core, the facing thickness should be mens in the conditioned environment until test time, if the test
measured prior to bonding. In these cases the test requestor environment is different than the conditioning environment.
may specify that either or both measured and nominal thick- 11.2.3 Before testing, measure and record the specimen
nesses be used in the calculations. For co-cured composite length, width and thickness at three places in the test section.
facings, the thicknesses are generally calculated using nominal Measure the specimen length and width with an accuracy of
per ply thickness values. 60.254 mm [60.010 in.]. Measure the specimen thickness
8.4 Specimen Preparation and Machining—Specimen with an accuracy of 6.025 mm [60.001 in.]. Record the
preparation is important for this test method. Take precautions dimensions to three significant figures in units of millimeters
when cutting specimens from large panels to avoid notches, [inches].
undercuts, rough or uneven surfaces, or delaminations due to 11.3 Measure and record the length of the support and
inappropriate machining methods. Obtain final dimensions by loading spans.
water-lubricated precision sawing, milling, or grinding. The 11.4 Speed of Testing—Set the speed of testing so as to
use of diamond coated machining tools has been found to be produce failure within 3 to 6 min. If the ultimate strength of the
extremely effective for many material systems. Edges should material cannot be reasonably estimated, initial trials should be
be flat and parallel within the specified tolerances. Record and conducted using standard speeds until the ultimate strength of
report the specimen cutting preparation method. the material and the compliance of the system are known, and
8.5 Labeling—Label the test specimens so that they will be speed of testing can be adjusted. The suggested standard speed
distinct from each other and traceable back to the panel of for cross head displacement is 6 mm/min [0.25 in./min].
origin, and will neither influence the test nor be affected by it. 11.5 Test Environment—If possible, test the specimen under
the same fluid exposure level used for conditioning. However,
9. Calibration cases such as elevated temperature testing of a moist specimen
9.1 The accuracy of all measuring equipment shall have place unrealistic requirements on the capabilities of common
certified calibrations that are current at the time of use of the testing machine environmental chambers. In such cases, the
equipment. mechanical test environment may need to be modified, for
example, by testing at elevated temperature with no fluid
10. Conditioning exposure control, but with a specified limit on time to failure
10.1 The recommended pre-test specimen condition is ef- from withdrawal from the conditioning chamber. Record any
fective moisture equilibrium at a specific relative humidity per modifications to the test environment.
Test Method D5229/D5229M; however, if the test requestor 11.6 Fixture Installation—Arrange the loading fixture as
does not explicitly specify a pre-test conditioning environment, shown in Fig. 1 as appropriate and place in the test machine.
conditioning is not required and the test specimens may be 11.7 Specimen Insertion and Alignment—Place the speci-
tested as prepared. men into the test fixture. Align the fixture and specimen so that

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 C393/C393M – 11´1
the longitudinal axis of the specimen is perpendicular (within 13. Calculation
1°) to the longitudinal axes of the loading bars, and the bars are 13.1 Force-Displacement Behavior—Plot and examine the
parallel (within 1°) to the plane of the specimen facings. force-displacement data to determine if there is any significant
11.8 Transducer Installation—Attach the deflection trans- compliance change (change in slope of the force-displacement
ducer to the fixture and specimen, and connect to the recording curve, sometimes referred to as a transition region) prior to
instrumentation. Remove any remaining preload, zero the ultimate failure (significant is defined as a 10 % or more
strain gages and balance the deflection transducer. change in slope). An example of a transition region is shown in
11.9 Loading—Apply a compressive force to the specimen Test Method D3410. Determine the slope of the force-
at the specified rate while recording data. Load the specimen displacement curve above and below the transition point using
until failure or until a deflection equal to the specimen chord values over linear regions of the curve. Intersect the
thickness is reached. linear slopes to find the transition point. Report the force and
NOTE 7—Some core materials do not exhibit a well-defined fracture displacement at such points along with the displacement values
failure with sudden loss of load-carrying capacity, rather failures are used to determine the chord slopes. Report the mode of any
characterized by a protracted yield of the core in shear, resulting in large damage observed during the test prior to specimen failure.
core-shear deformation while continuing to carry load. Tests of such
materials should be stopped within the limits of linear beam theory. 13.2 3-Point Mid-span Loading:
13.2.1 3-Point Mid-span Loading—Calculate the core shear
11.10 Data Recording—Record force versus crosshead dis-
ultimate stress using Eq 4:
placement, and force versus deflection data continuously, or at
frequent regular intervals (on the order of 2-3 recordings per Pmax
Fsult 5 (4)
second, with a target minimum of 100 recorded data points per ~d 1 c!b
test). If any initial failures are noted, record the force, displace- where:
ment, and mode of damage at such points. Potential initial Fsult = core shear ultimate strength, MPa [psi],
(non-catastrophic) failures that should be reported include: Pmax = maximum force prior to failure, N [lb],
facesheet delamination, core-to-facesheet disbond, partial core t = nominal facing thickness, mm [in.],
fracture, and local core crushing. Record the mode, area and d = sandwich thickness, mm [in.],
location of each initial failure. Use the failure identification c = core thickness, mm [in.] (c = d – 2t) see Fig. 2, and
codes shown in Table 1. Record the method used to determine b = sandwich width, mm [in.].
the initial failure (visual, acoustic emission, etc.). Record the
maximum force, the failure force, the head displacement and NOTE 8—Since it is generally not practical to accurately measure the
facing thicknesses of co-cured sandwich panels, the calculations are based
the deflection at, or as near as possible to, the moment of on nominal thicknesses specified by the test requestor.
ultimate failure. NOTE 9—The first order approximation to the shear stress distribution
11.11 Ultimate Failure Modes—Record the mode, area and through-the-thickness of a thin facesheet sandwich panel uses a linear
location of ultimate failure for each specimen. Use the failure distribution of shear stress in the facesheets starting at zero at the free
identification codes shown in Table 1. Shear failures of the surface and increasing to the core shear stress value at the facesheet-core
sandwich core or failures of the core-to-facing bond are the interface. Therefore, the effective area of transverse shear stress is the core
only acceptable failure modes. Failure of one or both of the thickness + 1⁄2 of each facesheet thickness, which is equal to c + t1/2 + t2/2
facings preceding failure of the core or core-to-facing bond is = (d + c)/2.
not an acceptable failure mode. 13.2.2 Core Shear Yield Stress—For core materials that
yield more than 2 % strain calculate the core shear yield stress
12. Validation using Eq 5:
12.1 Values for ultimate properties shall not be calculated Pyield
for any specimen that breaks at some obvious flaw, unless such Fsyield 5 (5)
~d 1 c!b
flaw constitutes a variable being studied. Retests shall be
performed for any specimen on which values are not calcu- where:
lated. Fsyield = core shear ultimate strength, MPa [psi], and
12.2 A significant fraction of failures in a sample population Pyield = force at 2 % offset shear strain, N [lb].
occurring in one or both of the facings shall be cause to 13.2.3 Facing Stress—Calculate the facing stress using Eq
reexamine the loading and specimen geometry. 6:

TABLE 1 Sandwich Panel Three Part Failure Identification Codes

First Character Second Character Third Character
Failure Type Code Failure Area Code Failure Location Code
core Crushing C At load bar A Core C
skin to core Delamination D Gage G core-facing bond A
Facing failure F Multiple areas M Bottom facing B
Multi-mode M(xyz) Outside gage O Top facing T
transverse Shear S Various V both Facings F
eXplosive X Unknown U Various V
Other O Unknown U

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 C393/C393M – 11´1

s5
PmaxS
2t~d 1 c!b
(6)
Sn21 5 ŒS n
( xi2 – nx2
i51
DS D
/ n–1 (14)

where: CV 5 100 3 Sn21 / x (15)

s = facing stress, MPa [psi],
t = facing thickness, mm [in.], and where:
S = span length, mm [in.]. x = sample mean (average),
NOTE 10—The facing stress is calculated as a reference value at the
Sn-1 = sample standard deviation,
maximum applied force. Since this test method is restricted to core or CV = sample coefficient of variation, %,
core-to-facing shear failures, the facing stress does not represent the n = number of tested specimens, and
facing ultimate strength. Use Test Method D7249/D7249M to obtain the x1 = measured or derived property.
facing ultimate strength.
14. Report
13.3 4-Point (Quarter Point) Loading:
14.1 Report the following information, or references point-
13.3.1 Core Shear Ultimate Stress—Calculate the core
ing to other documentation containing this information, to the
shear ultimate stress using Eq 7:
maximum extent applicable (reporting of items beyond the
Pmax control of a given testing laboratory, such as might occur with
Fsult 5 (7)
~d 1 c!b material details or panel fabrication parameters, shall be the
13.3.2 Core Shear Yield Stress—For core materials that responsibility of the requestor):
yield more than 2 % strain calculate the core shear yield stress NOTE 13—Guides E1309 and E1434 contain data reporting recommen-
using Eq 8: dations for composite materials and composite materials mechanical
Pyield testing.
Fsyield 5 (8)
~d 1 c!b 14.1.1 The revision level or date of issue of this test method.
13.3.3 Facing Bending Stress—Calculate the facing bend- 14.1.2 The name(s) of the test operator(s).
ing stress using Eq 9: 14.1.3 Any variations to this test method, anomalies noticed
during testing, or equipment problems occurring during testing.
PS
s5 (9) 14.1.4 Identification of all the materials constituent to the
4t~d 1 c!b
sandwich panel specimen tested (including facing, adhesive
NOTE 11—The facing stress is calculated as a reference value at the and core materials), including for each: material specification,
maximum applied force. Since this test method is restricted to core or material type, manufacturer’s material designation, manufac-
core-to-facing shear failures, the facing stress does not represent the turer’s batch or lot number, source (if not from manufacturer),
facing ultimate strength. Use Test Method D7249/D7249M to obtain the
facing ultimate strength.
date of certification, and expiration of certification. Description
of the core orientation.
13.4 4-Point (Third Point) Loading: 14.1.5 Description of the fabrication steps used to prepare
13.4.1 Core Shear Ultimate Stress—Calculate the core the sandwich panel including: fabrication start date, fabrication
shear ultimate stress using Eq 10: end date, process specification, and a description of the
Pmax equipment used.
Fsult 5 (10) 14.1.6 Method of preparing the test specimen, including
~d 1 c!b
specimen labeling scheme and method, specimen geometry,
13.4.2 Core Shear Yield Stress—For core materials that
sampling method, and specimen cutting method.
yield more than 2 % strain calculate the core shear yield stress
14.1.7 Results of any nondestructive evaluation tests.
using Eq 11:
14.1.8 Calibration dates and methods for all measurements
Pyield and test equipment.
Fsyield 5 (11)
~d 1 c!b 14.1.9 Details of loading platens and apparatus, including
13.4.3 Facing Bending Stress—Calculate the facing bend- loading configuration, loading and support span dimensions,
ing stress using Eq 12: loading bar details and material(s) used.
PS
14.1.10 Type of test machine, alignment results, and data
s5
3t~d 1 c!b
(12) acquisition sampling rate and equipment type.
14.1.11 Type, range and sensitivity of LVDT, or any other
NOTE 12—The facing stress is calculated as a reference value at the instruments used to measure loading platen deflection.
maximum applied force. Since this test method is restricted to core or 14.1.12 Measured lengths, widths and thicknesses for each
core-to-facing shear failures, the facing stress does not represent the
specimen.
facing ultimate strength. Use Test Method D7249/D7249M to obtain the
facing ultimate strength. 14.1.13 Weight of specimen, if requested.
14.1.14 Conditioning parameters and results.
13.5 Statistics—For each series of tests calculate the aver- 14.1.15 Relative humidity and temperature of the testing
age value, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation (in laboratory.
percent) for ultimate strength: 14.1.16 Environment of the test machine environmental

x5 S D
( Xi
i51
n
/n (13)
chamber (if used) and soak time at environment.
14.1.17 Number of specimens tested.

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 C393/C393M – 11´1
14.1.18 Speed of testing. 14.1.24 Failure mode and location of failure.
14.1.19 Facing thicknesses used in the calculations.
14.1.20 Individual ultimate shear strengths and average 15. Precision and Bias
value, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation (in 15.1 Precision—The data required for the development of a
percent) for the population. precision statement is not available for this test method.
14.1.21 Individual facing stresses at maximum applied 15.2 Bias—Bias cannot be determined for this method as no
force and average value, standard deviation, and coefficient of acceptable reference standards exist.
variation (in percent) for the population.
14.1.22 Force versus crosshead displacement data for each 16. Keywords
specimen. 16.1 bending stress; core modulus; core stress; facing stress;
14.1.23 Force versus deflection data for each specimen. sandwich construction; sandwich deflection; shear stress

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