SEDL / STP / STP1110-EB / STP17726S

Delamination Analysis of Tapered Laminated Composites Under Tensile Loading

Armanios, EA
Assistant professor and NATO scholar, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Parnas, L
Assistant professor and NATO scholar, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Pages: 19    Published: Jan 1991

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Abstract

A study was conducted to analyze tapered composite laminates under tensile loading. A tapered construction made of S2/SP250 glass/epoxy laminate was used to achieve a thickness reduction using three consecutive dropped plies over a distance of 60 ply thicknesses. The principle of minimum complementary potential energy was used to determine interlaminar stresses. The interlaminar peel stress distribution shows a higher tensile intensity at the taper/thin portion juncture. The total strain energy release rate is determined using a simplified membrane model. Results are compared with a finite element simulation.