Failure of laminated

composites
Progressive failure is needed to
predict ultimate failure

We will limit
ourselves to
first ply failure
Maximum strain or maximum stress
failure in plane loads
Given
stress resultants , find
laminate strains x
N
o

x x

y
1 *1
y
o
A N y A

xy
o

xy N xy

Then transform to ply strains

1 m2 n2 mn xo
o
2 n2 m2 mn y
2mn 2mn m 2 n 2 o
12 (k ) (k ) xy

Then multiply by Q if needed to get

stresses
 Example 6.3.1 Prequel
A
kevlar/epoxy laminate is loaded by
biaxial loading with . Find the
maximum load it can carry.
The properties are:
The strain limits (in millistrains) are:
 Tsai-Pagano constants
Minor
Poissons ratio
E E 76.64 1.886 0
Q matrix 1
Q , Q 1 2
,
Q 1.886 5.546 0
1
11 22
12 21 12 21

21 E1
Q12 , Q66 G 0 0 2.3
1 12 21
Us in GPa

U1 3Q11 3Q22 2Q12 4Q66 / 8 32.44

U 2 (Q11 Q22 ) / 2 35.55
U 3 Q11 Q22 2Q12 4Q66 / 8 8.652
U 4 Q11 Q22 6Q12 4Q66 / 8 10.54
U 5 Q11 Q22 2Q12 4Q66 / 8 10.95
 A* matrix and laminate
strains
Lamination
parameters . How?
Then, from Table 2.1 (in GPa)A *
11 U1 0.5U 2 50.22
*
A22 U1 0.5U 2 14.67
A12* U 4 10.54
*
A66 U 5 10.95

Laminate strains x
15.03

Also 0-ply strains 0 A*1 0.5 x 23.29 x
0 0

Since
2.18
x max 0.0936GPa 93.6 MPa.
23.29
 45-deg ply
To
transform to 45-deg, we multiply
laminate strains
m n by
2
mn 2
1 1 1

n2 m2 mn 0.5 1 1 1
2mn 2mn m 2 n 2 2 2 0

Get
Since the critical constraint is again
transverse tension that gives

2.18
x max 0.1138GPa 113.8MPa.
19.16
 Other load combinations
Textbook
calculates failure limit for
any ratio of and
Where is our point?
 Laminate failure envelope
Combining the two envelopes

Does it agree with previous

calculations?
 If we wanted to check using
Hoffman
First need to translate strain limits to
X E 1.4, X E 0.235 t c

stress limits (inY Gpa) t

E 0.012, Y E 0.053
t
1 1 c 1
c
1

t 2 2 c 2 2

S 12s G12 0.034

Next calculate stresses in 0-deg ply

15.03
1.4
0.111

0 23.29 x 2.18 Q 0 0.0147 GPa
0 0 0

How does it look? Please check.

 Terms in Hoffman
2
1 2 22 1 1 1 1
Criterion 12
1
X t X c X t X c YtYc X t X c

2 12 1
Yt Yc S

X t 1t E1 1.4, X c 1c E1 0.235
Ratios: 1
Xt
0.0669,
1
Xc

0.398, 2 0.199
Xc Yt 2t E2 0.012, Yc 2c E2 0.053
2 2
3.88, 0.879,
Yt Yc S 12s G12 0.034

Criterion adds up to 6.1, large violation.

By how much approximately do we need
to reduce the stresses?
Why the large discerpancy between the
two criteria?