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Fabrication method produces unidirectional, multi-ply, transparent birefringent fibrous composite laminates for use in macromechanical stress analysis conducted by means of anisotropic photoelasticity. New laminates glass-fiber-reinforced plastics for which matrix and fibers have same index of refraction. Method utilized in structural applications of composites.
The effects of moisture and temperature on the fatigue and fracture response of composite laminates under compression loads were investigated. The structural laminates studied were an intermediate stiffness graphite-epoxy composite (a typical angle ply laimna liminate had a typical fan blade laminate). Full and half penetration slits and impact delaminations were the defects examined. Results are presented which show the effects of moisture on the fracture and fatigue strength at room temperature, 394 K (250 F), and 422 K (300 F). Static tests results show the effects of defect size and type on the compression-fracture strength under moisture and thermal environments. The cyclic tests results compare the fatigue lives and residual compression strength under compression only and under tension-compression fatigue loading.
The influence of placing interleaves between fiber reinforced plies in multilayered composite laminates is investigated. The geometry of the composite is idealized as two dimensional, isotropic, linearly elastic media made of a damaged layer bonded between two half planes and separated by thin interleaves of low extensional and shear moduli. The damage in the layer is taken in the form of a symmetric crack perpendicular to the interface and may extend up to the interface. The case of an H-shaped crack in the form of a broken layer with delamination along the interface is also analyzed. The interleaves are modeled as distributed shear and tension springs. Fourier integral transform techniques are used to develop solutions in terms of singular integral equations. An asymptotic analysis of the integral equations based on Muskhelishvili's techniques reveals logarithmically singular axial stresses in the half plane at the crack tips for the broken layer. For the H shaped crack, similar singularities are found to exist in the axial stresses at the interface crack tips in the layer and the half plane. The solution of the equations is found numerically for the stresses and displacements by using the Hadamard's concept of direct differentiation of Cauchy integrals as well as Gaussian integration techniques.
Warping of precise composite-material (graphite-fiber/epoxy-matrix) laminated panels reduced, according to proposal, by improved combination of design and method of fabrication. Essence of proposal to stack plies during fabrication in such pattern that effects of unavoidable ply-orientation errors in individual layers cancel each other out, on whole, in final product. Emerged from study of warping of composite-material laminated face sheets undergoing development for use as lightweight substrates for precise, curved mirrors in submillimeter-wave astronomical telescopes and optical communication systems.
The boundary element method is utilized to analyze the effects of fiber/matrix interfaces on the micromechanical behavior of laminated composites as well as the elastic behavior of woven composites. Effective composite properties are computed for laminated SiC/RBSN and SiC/Ti-15-3 composites, as well as a woven SiC/SiC composite. The properties calculated using the computerized tool BEST-CMS match the experimental results well.
A method was devised to test the compression strength of composite laminate specimens that are much thinner and wider than other tests require. The specimen can be up to 7.62 cm (3 in) wide and as thin as 1.02 mm (.04 in). The best features of the Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (IITRI) fixture are combined with an antibuckling jig developed and used at the University of Dayton Research Institute to obtain a method of compression testing thin, wide test coupons on any 20 kip (or larger) loading frame. Up to 83 pct. less composite material is needed for the test coupons compared to the most commonly used compression-after-impact (CAI) tests, which calls for 48 ply thick (approx. 6.12 mm) test coupons. Another advantage of the new method is that composite coupons of the exact lay-up and thickness of production parts can be tested for CAI strength, thus yielding more meaningful results. This new method was used to compression test 8 and 16 ply laminates of T300/934 carbon/epoxy. These results were compared to those obtained using ASTM standard D 3410-87 (Celanese compression test). CAI testing was performed on IM6/3501-6, IM7/SP500 and IM7/F3900. The new test method and associated fixture work well and is a valuable asset to MSFC's damage tolerance program.
This paper discusses an investigation into the thermal buckling of symmetrically laminated composite plates. In this study thermal buckling is investigated for laminates under two different simple support conditions, fixed and sliding. These laminates are subjected to the conditions of a uniform temperature change, and a temperature change varying linearly along the length of the plate. The effects of the principal material axes not being aligned with the edges of the plate are also investigated. The buckling response is studied using variational methods, specifically the Trefftz criterion. A Rayleigh-Ritz formulation is used to obtain numerical results from the formulations for the prebuckling response and the buckling response.
A study of a special case of symmetric laminated composite cantilever beams is presented. The approach models beams that are tapered both in depth and width and investigates the effect of the ply layup angle and the ply taper on bending and interlaminar shearing stresses. For the determination of stresses and deflections, the beam stiffness matrices are expressed as linear functions of the beam length. Using classical lamination theory (CLT) the stiffness matrices are determined and assembled at strategic locations along the length of the beam. They are then inverted and necessary stiffness parameters are obtained numerically and extracted for determination of design information at each location chosen. Several ply layup configurations are investigated, and design considerations are presented based on the findings. Finally, recommendations for the design of these beams are presented, and a means for anticipating the location of highest stresses is offered.
A study of the attenuation of bending boundary layers in balanced and unbalanced, symmetrically and unsymmetrically laminated cylindrical shells is presented for nine contemporary material systems. The analysis is based on the linear Sanders-Koiter shell equations and specializations to the Love-Kirchhoff shell equations and Donnell's equations are included. Two nondimensional parameters are identified that characterize the effects of laminate orthotropy and anisotropy on the bending boundary-layer decay length in a very general manner. A substantial number of structural design technology results are presented for a wide range of laminated-composite cylinders. For all laminates considered, the results show that the differences between results obtained with the Sanders-Koiter shell equations, the Love-Kirchhoff shell equations, and Donnell's equations are negligible. The results also show that the effect of anisotropy in the form of coupling between pure bending and twisting has a negligible effect on the size of the bending boundary-layer decay length of the balanced, symmetrically laminated cylinders considered. Moreover, the results show that coupling between the various types of shell anisotropies has a negligible effect on the calculation of the bending boundary-layer decay length in most cases. The results also show that, in some cases, neglecting the shell anisotropy results in underestimating the bending boundary-layer decay length and, in other cases, results in an overestimation.
Toward the goal of delamination detection and quantification in laminated composites, this paper examines guided wave propagation and wave interaction with delamination damage in laminated carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites using frequency-wavenumber (f-kappa) analysis. Three-dimensional elastodynamic finite integration technique (EFIT) is used to acquire simulated time-space wavefields for a CFRP composite. The time-space wavefields show trapped waves in the delamination region. To unveil the wave propagation physics, the time-space wavefields are further analyzed by using two-dimensional (2D) Fourier transforms (FT). In the analysis results, new f-k components are observed when the incident guided waves interact with the delamination damage. These new f-kappa components in the simulations are experimentally verified through data obtained from scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV) tests. By filtering the new f-kappa components, delamination damage is detected and quantified.
The inverse Finite Element Method (iFEM) is a revolutionary methodology for real-time reconstruction of full-field structural displacements and stresses in structures that are instrumented with strain sensors. This inverse problem is commonly referred to as shape and stress sensing, which is well-recognized as an enabling technology for structural health monitoring systems. In this study, an improved iFEM formulation is proposed for shape and stress sensing of laminated composite and sandwich plates and shells. The formulation includes the kinematics of a shear deformation plate theory known as Refined Zigzag Theory (RZT) as its baseline. The present iFEM formulation is based upon the minimization of a weighted-least-squares functional that uses the complete set of section strains of RZT. The improved iFEM methodology is applicable for shape and stress sensing of thin and moderately thick plate and shell structures involving a relatively small number of strain gauges. The main advantage of the current formulation is that highly accurate through-the-thickness distributions of displacements, strains, and stresses are attainable using an element based on simple C0-continuous displacement interpolation functions. A three-node inverseshell element, named i3-RZT, is developed. Two example problems are examined in detail: (1) a simply supported rectangular laminated composite plate and (2) a wedge structure with a hole near one of the clamped ends. For both problems, the experimental strain data are generated numerically by the direct finite element analysis using high-fidelity discretizations. These strains are then regarded as the experimental strains obtained from surface mounted strain gauges or embedded fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. The numerical results demonstrate the superior capability and potential applicability of the i3- RZT/iFEM methodology for performing accurate shape and stress sensing of complex composite structures.
Various methods for the shear stress-strain characterization of composite laminates are examined, and their advantages and limitations are briefly discussed. Experimental results and the necessary accompanying analysis are then presented and compared for three simple shear characterization procedures. These are the off-axis tensile test method, the + or - 45 degs tensile test method and the 0 deg/90 degs symmetric rail shear test method. It is shown that the first technique indicates that the shear properties of the G/E laminates investigated are fundamentally brittle in nature while the latter two methods tend to indicate that the G/E laminates are fundamentally ductile in nature. Finally, predictions of incrementally determined tensile stress-strain curves utilizing the various different shear behavior methods as input information are presented and discussed.
An experimental investigation of the fracture behavior of unidirectional boron/aluminum composite laminates was conducted in order to verify the results of mathematical models. These models predict the fiber stresses and displacements and the amount of damage growth in a center-notched lamina as a function of the applied remote stress and the matrix and fiber material properties. A brittle lacquer coating was used to detect the yielding in the matrix while X-ray techniques were used to determine the number of broken fibers in the laminate. The notched strengths and the amounts of damage found in the specimens agreed well with those predicted by the models. It was shown that for thin laminates the amount of damage and the fiber displacements do not depend strongly on the number of plies for a given notch width.
Using anisotropic elasticity theory, delamination stresses in a semicircular laminated composite curved bar subjected to end forces and end moments were calculated, and their radial locations determined. A family of design curves was presented, showing variation of the intensity of delamination stresses and their radial locations with different geometry and different degrees of anisotropy of the curved bar. The effect of anisotropy on the location of peak delamination stress was found to be small.
An invention which relates to laminate structures and specifically to essentially anisotropic fiber composite laminates is described. Metal foils are selectively disposed within the laminate to produce increased resistance to high velocity impact, fracture, surface erosion, and other stresses within the laminate.
The purpose of the research is to gain an understanding of the material and geometric couplings present in advanced composite turbo-propellers. Twelve pre-twisted laminated composite plates are tested. Three different ply lay-ups (2 symmetric and 1 asymmetric) and four different geometries (flat and 30x pre-twist about the mid-chord, quarter-chord, and leading edge) distinguish each plate from one another. Four rotating and non-rotating tests are employed to isolate the material and geometric couplings of an advanced turbo propeller. The first series of tests consist of non-rotating static displacement, strain, and vibrations. These tests examine the effects of ply lay-up and geometry. The second series of tests consist of rotating displacement, strain, and vibrations with various pitch and sweep settings. These tests utilize the Dynamic Spin Rig Facility at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The rig allows the spin testing of the plates in a near vacuum environment. The tests examine how the material and plate geometry interact with the pitch and sweep geometry of an advanced turbo-propeller.
Composites used in space structures are exposed to both extremes in temperature and applied mechanical loads. Cracks in the matrix form, changing the laminate thermoelastic properties. The goal of the present investigation is to develop a predictive methodology to quantify microcracking in general composite laminates under both thermal and mechanical loading. This objective is successfully met through a combination of analytical modeling and experimental investigation. In the analysis, the stress and displacement distributions in the vicinity of a crack are determined using a shear lag model. These are incorporated into an energy based cracking criterion to determine the favorability of crack formation. A progressive damage algorithm allows the inclusion of material softening effects and temperature-dependent material properties. The analysis is implemented by a computer code which gives predicted crack density and degraded laminate properties as functions of any thermomechanical load history. Extensive experimentation provides verification of the analysis. AS4/3501-6 graphite/epoxy laminates are manufactured with three different layups to investigate ply thickness and orientation effects. Thermal specimens are cooled to progressively lower temperatures down to -184 C. After conditioning the specimens to each temperature, cracks are counted on their edges using optical microscopy and in their interiors by sanding to incremental depths. Tensile coupons are loaded monotonically to progressively higher loads until failure. Cracks are counted on the coupon edges after each loading. A data fit to all available results provides input parameters for the analysis and shows them to be material properties, independent of geometry and loading. Correlation between experiment and analysis is generally very good under both thermal and mechanical loading, showing the methodology to be a powerful, unified tool. Delayed crack initiation observed in a few cases is attributed to a lack of preexisting flaws assumed by the analysis. Some interactions between adjacent ply groups are attributed to local stress concentrations. These two effects are not captured by the analysis due to its global nature. The analysis is conservative in these cases and agrees well with data after the observed onset of cracking.
Simple analytic expressions are presented for the stiffness and thermoelastic coefficients of composite laminates in terms of the material properties of the individual layers. Expressions for the derivatives of the various coefficients with respect to each of the material properties and fiber orientation angles are also included. For typical high-performance composites, numerical values are given showing the effects of the stacking sequence and the fiber orientation angle of quasi-isotropic and angle-ply laminates on the values of the various coefficients and their sensitivity derivatives. The expressions for the thermoelastic coefficients and the sensitivity derivatives are given herein for the first time.