Shear Strength Testing

Double-shear testing, applies a compressive force across two distinct shear planes of a cylindrical specimen. Testing provides critical shear strength design properties for structural and aerospace engineering applications.

For materials with directional microstructures (e.g. rolled metal grains, or additive-manufactured 3D-printed layers), shear strength is strictly anisotropic—meaning it changes depending on the angle of the applied load relative to the internal fiber or grain orientation.

The test uses a specialized double-shear fixture with interchangeable inserts. SMaRT currently uses a 10mm diameter bar specimen. A universal testing machine is used to push a guided center blade onto the central die, shearing the specimen on two parallel planes at once, whilst recording the applied force throughout. The maximum force, along with the original specimen diameter, is then used to calculate the ultimate shear strength of the sample .

SMaRT routinely conducts shear strength tests in compliance with the following international and industry standards (working to other methods are available upon request):

ASTM B769 Standard test method for shear testing aluminium alloys