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Splined shafts used in gas turbines are being subjected to an ever more arduous set of loads, but the strength of this class of joints has hitherto not been probed. This paper describes preliminary contributions to determining this by first performing a finite element analysis of the spline overall in order to determine the contact conditions, including surface slip displacement. These conditions are then reproduced in a simplified fretting fatigue apparatus in order to reduce the number of prototypical tests required.

The application of the plate twist test method to 3D-woven textile composites was investigated using both numerical analyses of the test set-up as well as experimental results. Comparisons with the widely used V-notched beam shear and 10°-off-axis tension tests are introduced in an attempt to identify the true in-plane shear response. The results of this study demonstrate that with careful specimen preparation and an adequate test fixture precise in-plane shear modulus data can be obtained. Moreover, for 3D-woven textile composites with their large unit cells the plate twist test appears to be superior in revealing the “true” in-plane shear behaviour.

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