IJSCT 107

Paper Title: Failure Characterisation of L-Bend Curved Composite Laminates

Authors

Raju, B G Prusty, D W Kelly and G D Peng, University of New South Wales, Australia
D Lyons, EMP Composites, Australia

Summary

One of the critical failures in curved composites is the delamination which can significantly reduce the strength and integrity of the structure. This paper is aimed to predict the delamination initiation and progression in a curved composite laminate. Experimental and numerical analysis are presented. Interlaminar shear and tensile stresses acting at the interface of the layers are computed and assessed using strength based criterion. 3D Finite Element Analysis using MSC.MARC is conducted and experimental investigation is performed to validate the numerical model. The curved panels are fixed at the base & pulled at the other end; as a result, multiple delamination occurred in the laminate bend due to induced interlaminar tensile/shear stresses. The effect of stacking sequence, laminate thickness and radius of the curvature is studied. A four channel acoustic emission equipment is used to characterise the laminate failure initiation and progression. Good agreement is obtained between the experimental and numerical results.

Reference

Transactions RINA, Vol 152, Part B2, International Journal of Small Craft Technology, Jul-Dec 2010 

DOI number

DOI No: 10.3940/rina.ijsct.2010.b2.107

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