A Method of Strain and Stress Analysis for Failure Prediction in Laminated Composites

Abstract

In this study, a method of strain and stress analysis is developed to predict the failure initiation in laminated composites containing two or more different kinds of laminae. In principle, the method developed in this study is similar to non-local elasticity, but the long-range interactions are considered on the strains instead of material moduli, and the method is developed and applied as a realistic and practical one. Firstly, the strain fields in each layer are determined separately and then these strain fields are used as input in-layer strains to obtain the strains and stresses in fibres and matrix in each layer individually. The principal strains and stresses in fibres and matrix are calculated in order to predict failure initiation. The method is applied to a sample problem and numerical results are presented as well as a comparison of the layer stresses with the results from the classical plate and shell theory.