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At least 199 records · Page 11

Effects of moisture, residual thermal curing stresses and mechanical load on the damage development in quasi-isotropic laminates

Classical laminate theory and a finite element model were used to predict stress states prior to the first formation of damage in laminates fabricated from T/300/5208. Crack patterns characteristic of the laminate in a wet or dry condition were also predicted using a shear lag model. Development of edge damage was recorded and observed during the test by transferring an image of the damage from the edge surface on to a thin acetate sheet such that the damage imprinted could be immediately viewed on a microfiche card reader. Moisture was shown to significantly alter the interior and edge dry stress states due to swelling and a reduction of elastic properties and to reduce the transverse strength in 90 deg plies. A model was developed in order to predict changes in first ply failure laminate loads due to differences in stacking sequence together with a wet or dry environmental condition.

Kriz, R. D.↗

Sudden bending of cracked laminates

A dynamic approximate laminated plate theory is developed with emphasis placed on obtaining effective solution for the crack configuration where the 1/square root of r stress singularity and the condition of plane strain are preserved. The radial distance r is measured from the crack edge. The results obtained show that the crack moment intensity tends to decrease as the crack length to laminate plate thickness is increased. Hence, a laminated plate has the desirable feature of stabilizing a through crack as it increases its length at constant load. Also, the level of the average load intensity transmitted to a through crack can be reduced by making the inner layers to be stiffer than the outer layers. The present theory, although approximate, is useful for analyzing laminate failure to crack propagation under dynamic load conditions.

Sih, G. C.↗

Sound transmission into a laminated composite cylindrical shell

In the context of the transmission of airborne noise into an aircraft fuselage, a mathematical model is presented for the transmission of an oblique plane sound wave into a laminated composite circular cylindrical shell. Numerical results are obtained for geometry typical of a narrow-bodied jet transport. Results indicate that from the viewpoint of noise attenuation on laminated composite shell does not appear to offer any significant advantage over an aluminum shell. However, the transmission loss of a laminated composite shell is sensitive to the orientation of the fibers and this suggests the possibility of using a laminated composite shell to tailor the noise attenuation characteristics to meet a specific need.

Koval, L. R.↗

Characterization of delamination onset and growth in a composite laminate

The onset and growth of delaminations in unnotched (+ or - 30/+ or - 30/90/90 bar) sub S graphite epoxy laminates is described quantitatively. These laminates, designed to delaminate at the edges under tensile loads, were tested and analyzed. Delamination growth and stiffness loss were monitored nondestructively. Laminate stiffness decreased linearly with delamination size. The strain energy release rate, G, associated with delamination growth, was calculated from two analyses. A critical G for delamination onset was determined, and then was used to predict the onset of delaminations in (+45 sub n/-45 sub n/o sub n/90 sub n) sub s (n=1,2,3) laminates. A delamination resistance curve (R curve) was developed to characterize the observed stable delamination growth under quasi static loading. A power law correlation between G and delamination growth rates in fatigue was established.

Obrien, T. K.↗

Calculation of the room-temperature shapes of unsymmetric laminates

A theory explaining the characteristics of the cured shapes of unsymmetric laminates is presented. The theory is based on an extension of classical lamination theory which accounts for geometric nonlinearities. A Rayleigh-Ritz approach to minimizing the total potential energy is used to obtain quantitative information regarding the room temperature shapes of square T300/5208 (0(2)/90(2))T and (0(4)/90(4))T graphite-epoxy laminates. It is shown that, depending on the thickness of the laminate and the length of the side the square, the saddle shape configuration is actually unstable. For values of length and thickness that render the saddle shape unstable, it is shown that two stable cylindrical shapes exist. The predictions of the theory are compared with existing experimental data.

Hyer, M. W.↗

Flaw criticality of circular disbond defects in compressive laminates

The compressive behavior of T300/5208 graphite-epoxy laminates containing circular delaminations was studied to determine the flaw criticality of two types of implanted defect, Kapton bag and Teflon film, on several laminate configurations. Defect size was varied. Results, presented in the form of residual strength curves, indicate that the Teflon film defect reduced strength more than the Kapton bad defect in 12-ply samples, but that two laminates (+ or - 45) sub 2s and (90/+ or - 45) sub s were insensitive to any implanted defect. A clear thickness effect was shown to exist for the (o/+ pr 45) sub ns laminate and was attributed to failure mode transition. The analytically predicted buckling loads show excellent agreement with experimental results and are useful in predicting failure mode transition.

Webster, J. D.↗

An improved lamination technique for solar arrays

Encapsulating solar cells by lamination has been plagued with problems such as bubbles, cell shifting, ripples, and cracked cells. A low-cost laminating procedure has been developed using a double vacuum bagging technique and recently improved formulations of ethylene vinyl acetate, successfully minimizing these problems. The lamination fixturing used is described. The causes and cures of various problems are discussed and solutions to these problems presented. The apparent modulus of the face sheet seen by the module being laminated is believed to be the primary variable which must be optimized. Conditions at the module edge are also considered to be important for producing an acceptable product.

Garcia, A., III↗

An improved transverse shear deformation theory for laminated antisotropic plates

An improved transverse shear deformation theory for laminated anisotropic plates under bending is presented. The theory eliminates the need for an arbitrarily chosen shear correction factor. For a general laminate with coupled bending and stretching, the constitutive equations connecting resultants with average displacements and rotations are derived. Simplified forms of these relations are also obtained for the special case of a symmetric laminate with uncoupled bending. The governing equation for this special case is obtained as a sixth-order equation for the normal displacement requiring prescription of the three physically natural bounday conditions along each edge. For the limiting case of isotropy, the present theory reduces to an improved version of Mindlin's theory. Numerical results are obtained from the present theory for an example of a laminated plate under cylindrical bending. Comparison with results from exact three-dimensional analysis shows that the present theory is more accurate than other theories of equivalent order.

Murthy, M. V. V.↗

Influence of layer thickness on the strength of angle-ply laminates

Experimental results are presented showing that the strength and toughness of finite width angle-ply laminates can be increased significantly by using an alternating layer stacking sequence as opposed to a clustered configuration. The ultimate tensile stress of an alternating plus/minus theta laminate of the form (+ or - theta) sub 2 sub s can be much as 1.5 times that of a clustered configuration of the form theta sub 2/-theta sub 2 sub s. Further, the toughness of the alternating layer configuration can be as much as 2.7 times that of the clustered configuration. These differences are explained analytically through consideration of the influence of layer thickness on the magnitude of the interlaminar shear stress and by examination of failed specimens. It is shown that the two laminate configurations exhibit distinctly different failure modes for some fiber angles. Both laminate configurations exhibit catastrophic failure with the damage limited essentially to a small region defined by the length of a single crack across the width of the specimen, parallel to the fiber direction. Results are presented for T300/5208 graphite-epoxy for fiber orientations of 10, 30, and 45 deg.

Herakovich, C. T.↗

Interlaminar stress singularities at a straight free edge in composite laminates

A quasi-three-dimensional finite-element analysis was used to analyze the edge-stress problem in four-ply, composite laminates. The seven laminates that were considered belong to the laminate family where the outer ply angle is between 0 and 90 deg. Systematic convergence studies were made to explore the existence of stress singularities near the free edge. The present analysis appears to confirm the existence of stress singularities at the intersection of the interface and the free edge. The power of the stress singularity was the same for all seven laminates considered.

Raju, I. S.↗

Reliability of the finite element method for calculating free edge stresses in composite laminates

The interlaminar normal stress distributions along the interface between the +45 deg and -45 deg plies of a graphite/epoxy laminate, obtained by various investigators, were found to disagree in both magnitude and sign. The reliability of the displacement-formulated finite element method in analyzing the edge-stress problem of a composite laminate is investigated. The history of the edge-stress problem is reviewed, and two well-known elasticity problems, one involving a stress discontinuity and one a singularity, are analyzed. The finite element analysis in these problems yields accurate stress distributions everywhere except in two elements closest to the stress discontinuity or singularity. Stress distributions for a + or -45 deg ply laminate near the singularity were similar to those of the two elasticity problems, demonstrating the methods, accuracy for calculating interlaminar stresses in composite laminates. The disagreement between the numerical methods was attributed to the unsymmetric stress tensor at singularity.

Whitcomb, J. D.↗

Fatigue mechanisms in metal matrix composite laminates

Certain aspects of the damage process are described. The shakedown phenomenon in laminates is first explained. This is followed by a presentation of matrix test data used in evaluating the shakedown limits of the laminates used in the subsequent experiments. Test results suggesting that there is no loss of elastic stiffness in laminates loaded at constant amplitudes within their shakedown limits are presented. Damage accumulation and the development of the saturation damage state are illustrated by experimental results on specimens loaded outside the shakedown range. Attention is also given to the behavior of laminates subjected to variable cyclic loading.

Dvorak, G. J.↗

An inherent instability in fiber-reinforced composite laminates

Presented is a theory to predict the room-temperature shape of unsymmetric laminates. The theory is an extension of classical lamination theory and includes the effects of geometric nonlinearities. It is shown that the saddle shape predicted by the classical theory can actually be an unstable shape and a laminate will assume a cylindrical shape instead. The phenomena is coupled to the length, width, and thickness of the laminate.

Hyer, M. W.↗

Effect of orthotropic properties and panel width on the compression strength of graphite-epoxy laminates with holes

An experimental study conducted to evaluate the effect of laminate orthotropic properties and panel width on the compression strength of 48-ply graphite-epoxy laminates with drilled holes is described. The test results are evaluated on the basis of hole size and specimen width and are used in determining parameters necessary for predicting trends using the point stress failure criterion. Good agreement is obtained between experimental and predicted values of failure for panels fabricated from two quasi-isotropic laminates and one orthotropic laminate. The results suggest that panels of different widths having holes that are large in relation to the failure prediction parameter should be included in any test program conducted to develop prediction trends that may be used in design applications.

Rhodes, M. D.↗

Stiffness reductions during tensile fatigue testing of graphite/epoxy angle-ply laminates

Tensile fatigue data was generated under carefully controlled test conditions. A computerized data acquisition system was used to permit the measurement of dynamic modulus without interrupting the fatigue cycling. Two different 8-ply laminate configurations, viz, + or - 45 (2s) and + or - 67.5 (2s), of a T300/5208 graphite/epoxy composite were tested. The + or - 45 (2s) laminate did exhibit some modulus decay, although there was no well-defined correlation with applied stress level or number of cycles. The + or - 67.5 (2s) laminate did not exhibit any measurable modulus decay. Secondary effects observed included a small but distinct difference between modulus as measured statically and dynamically, a slight recovery of the modulus decay after a test interruption, and a significant viscoelastic (creep) response of the + or - 45 (2s) laminate during fatigue testing.

Odom, E. M.↗

The response of cylindrical panels fabricated from symmetrically and unsymmetrically laminated composite materials

Equations are developed which govern the deflection response of long cylindrical panels subjected to a line load. The line load is directed toward the center of curvature of the panel, is located at an arbitrary point along the arc length of the panel, and is included at an arbitrary angle relative to the radial direction. Only the geometrically linear problem is considered and the spatial dependence in the problem is reduced to one independent variable, specifically, the arc length along the panel. The problem is thus solvable in closed form. Both symmetrically laminated and the less common unsymmetrically laminated simply supported panels are studied. The unsymmetrically laminated case was considered because the natural shape of an unsymmetric laminate is cylindrical. Results are presented which show the influence of the location and inclination of the line load on panel deflection. Shallow and deep panels are considered. Both the symmetric and unsymmetric panels exhibit similar behavior, the unsymmetric configurations being less stiff. Limited experimental results are presented.

Carper, D. M.↗

Experimental and analytical investigation of the fracture processes of boron/aluminum laminates containing notches

Experimental results for five laminate orientations of boron/aluminum composites containing either circular holes or crack-like slits are presented. Specimen stress-strain behavior, stress at first fiber failure, and ultimate strength were determined. Radiographs were used to monitor the fracture process. The specimens were analyzed with a three-dimensional elastic-elastic finite-element model. The first fiber failures in notched specimens with laminate orientation occurred at or very near the specimen ultimate strength. For notched unidirectional specimens, the first fiber failure occurred at approximately one-half of the specimen ultimate strength. Acoustic emission events correlated with fiber breaks in unidirectional composites, but did not for other laminates. Circular holes and crack-like slits of the same characteristic length were found to produce approximately the same strength reduction. The predicted stress-strain responses and stress at first fiber failure compared very well with test data for laminates containing 0 deg fibers.

Johnson, W. S.↗

Tensile stress-strain behavior of hybrid composite laminates

A study was made of the stress-strain response of several hybrid laminates, and the damage was correlated with nonlinear stress-strain response and ultimate strength. The fibers used in the laminates were graphite, S-glass, and Kevlar. Some laminates with graphite fibers had perforated Mylar film between plies, which lowered the interlaminar bond strength. The laminate configurations were chosen to be like those of buffer strips in large panels and fracture coupons. Longitudinal and transverse specimens were loaded in tension to failure. Some specimens were radiographed to reveal damage due to edge effects. Stress-strain response is discussed in terms of damage shown by the radiographs. Ultimate strengths are compared with simple failure criteria, one of which account for damage.

Kennedy, J. M.↗