Composite materials are widely used for structural applications, thanks to their excellent
mechanical properties combined with a low material density. It is difficult to perform a complete
characterisation of these materials, due to the influence of several factors on their mechanical behaviour.
Generally, the mechanical characteristics of composites are influenced by the manufacturing process parameters
(i.e. curing time-temperature) and the experimental parameters (i.e. specimen shape, the use of tabs for testing,
the test velocity, and the loading conditions). These materials show different failure mechanisms (i.e. interfacial
debonding, delamination, fibre rupture, matrix cracking), which depend on the type and direction of the applied
load. In this study, an E-glass/vinylester pultruded material is mechanically characterised by means of static
tests, performed on specimens with different fibre orientations. Thermal analyses are also performed, by means
of a Thermal imaging camera (FLIR Thermacam SC 3000), to determine the static damage parameters (i.e.
Temperature). Thermal maps of the damaged area, evaluated from the experimental data, are used to get
information related to the damage evolution and the failure mode. The aim of this work is the evaluation of
composites damage under static loading conditions, by using the thermographic method.