From the Back Cover
Now updated and published in its second edition, this manual provides a series of instructional chapters which describe practical details involved in applying various experimental techniques to composite materials and composite structures. The reader is first introduced to the basic theory which relates to composite material mechanics, as well as to the specific tools utilized in strain measurement. Fundamental test techniques are then presented, followed by exemplary applications, including methods for optical, acoustic, thermal and damage analysis. Also included is a listing of ASTM specifications relevant to the mechanical testing of composite materials.
About the Author
DR. CHRISTOPHER H.M. JENKINS teaches and conducts research in the areas of continuum mechanics, computational and experimental mechanics, and structural dynamics. Over the past ten years, he has been investigating the mechanics of highly compliant (membrane) structures, including the effects of wrinkling and viscoelasticity. Dr. Jenkins is the founder and director of the Compliant Structures Laboratory at SDSM&T.
As a 1994 and 1995 NASA Summer Faculty Fellow, Goddard Space Flight Center/Wallops Flight Facility, Dr. Jenkins worked on problems associated with reinforced membranes for scientific balloon applications. As a 1996 and 1997 AFOSR Summer Research Associate, Dr. Jenkins worked at the Air Force Phillips Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, NM, on structural modeling of space-based inflatable structures, work that primarily focused upon surface precision prediction and improvement. His current supported research from AFOSR, ARO, JPL, NASA, NRL, and NSF includes development of methods for both active and passive control of membrane wrinkling, understanding the load transfer in bonded joints in composite materials, structural modeling of parachute inflation, and applications of space-based membrane structures.
Dr. Jenkins is a member of the American Academy of Mechanics, American Society of Engineering Educators, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society of Engineering Science, and the Society for Experimental Mechanics. He has over 50 publications in journals, conference proceedings, and book chapters. Dr. Jenkins is a registered engineer in 3 states, and has over 15 years of industrial and consultant experience.
