Compression bending test for CFRP pipe

A compression bending test method for CFRP pipes is described in this paper. Although CFRP pipes are widely used in such applications as truss members of architecture, golf clubs and fishing rods, there seem to be no suitable test methods for CFRP pipes. A conventional bending test of three- or four-point bending is not necessarily suitable because a high stress concentration due to a loading device takes place. In the past, we have developed a new bending test method, namely, a compression bending test and it was successfully applied to a flat specimen. In the present paper, we propose to apply this method to a pipe. The results show that the bending modulus was close to that measured by the three-point bending test and that the bending strength was higher than that measured by the three-point bending test. Hence, the proposed test method is well-suited for testing of pipe structures. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.