Deformation and strength of laminated quasiisotropic carbon-reinforced plastics

Conclusions The stress-strain state and strength of the quasiisotropic carbon-reinforced plastics depend strongly on the lay-up system of the adjacent plies because the magnitude of the interply stresses and their distribution greatly change when the reinforcement system is changed. The highest stress intensity is recorded at the free edge of the specimen. The magnitude of the residual thermal stresses is comparable with that of the mechanical stresses at the instant of formation of cracks in the weak plies of the composite. The first microcracks form inside the plies with the orientation 90 and ±45° in the direction of reinforcement. The IACs start to form at the free edges of the specimen and propagate into the material at strains from 12 to 39% of limiting strain _x ^l . Delamination of the laminated composite starts later than the formation of IACs (40–88% of _x ^l ) because the normal stress _x is higher than _z. The optimum lay-up system of the composite is [0/45/90/-45]_s because this system ensures higher stiffness of the material. The ±45 and 90° plies are not suitable for external surfaces of the composite since they start to crack very early. The quasiisotropic composites are less sensitive to the value of G_{2 3} than the composites with the ply lay-up [±]_s.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 3, pp. 449–454, May–June, 1985.     

Effect of the geometry of the structure on the strength distribution of multilaminate tridirectional reinforced plastics

Conclusion The proposed analytical method makes it possible to predict the strength distribution of an LRP of the type [0/±]_s from its structure (the geometry of the packet, the number of layers, and the strength properties of the layers) in a plane stress state. Allowance is made for the random character of the strength properties of the layers, which makes it possible to evaluate the reliability of the LRP for both determinate and random loading. A criterion was formulated for the optimum design of the structure of an LRP with respect to ensuring maximum reliability for specific loading conditions. We also evaluated the effect of the parameters of the structure and the characteristics of the plane stress state on reliability. According to the results of a numerical analysis performed with the above-developed structural model of the failure of an LRP — with allowance for the random character of the strength properties of the layers — the imbalance of the laminated packet which occurs during failure can be ignored. The method used to predict the strength distribution of the LRP, involving determination of the strength distribution law of an RSE and subsequent examination of the loading of parallel-connected RSEs, is promising for other reinforcement schemes as well.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 805–812, September–October, 1988.     

Modern trends in the development of fibrous composites

The two main trends in the development of high-modulus composites are considered. Improved methods of calculation sensitive to the effects associated with the weak shear and transverse characteristics are reviewed. It is shown that the disadvantages of composites with a traditional arrangement of the reinforcement can be overcome. The properties of boron- and carbon-reinforced plastics with a traditional reinforcement structure are described and compared with those of three-dimensionally structured materials with two- or three-strand reinforcing. Whiskerized fiber reinforcement is also considered. A program of further research on high-modulus composites is outlined.Presented at the 2nd All-Union Conference on Polymer Mechanics, Riga, November 10–12, 1971.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 541–552, May–June, 1972.     

Application of the finite-element method to improve the quasi-exact reinforcement theory of fibrous polymeric composites

In the paper, the WL quasi-exact reinforcement theory of fibrous polymeric composites is improved. An optimum compatibility condition related to the transverse shear problem for a unit cell, which brings solutions closest to reality, is derived. This condition is formulated in the form of a linear combination of maximum radial and circumferential displacements. Optimum coefficients of this combination are determined by comparing analytical and numerical solutions for a test specimen in the form of a rectangular thin plate, which is in a plane strain state and is subject to selected loading schemes. The analytic solutions are obtained for a homogenized material by using the WL reinforcement theory. The numerical solutions are found for an actual heterogeneous composite material by using the finite-element method, and they verify the WL reinforcement theory, in particular, the admissibility of Hills assumption. An analysis performed for two composite materials shows that the improved WL reinforcement theory gives adequate displacement fields.Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 79–92, January–Febrauary, 2005.     

Failure of water-filled cylindrical glass-reinforced epoxy shells under internal impulsive loading

Conclusions 1. The explosive failure of water-filled, geometrically similar glass-reinforced epoxy shells, whose dimensions increase by a factor of 1.5–4.4, is not associated with an energetic scale effect. This is attributable to the imperfect similarity of the shells, since although their dimensions changed, the diameter of the glass reinforcing fibers remained the same.2. The relative mass of explosive required to fracture the shells is approximately 0.4%. With respect to this index, glass-reinforced epoxy is comparable to structural steels 20 and 17Mn1Si at R₀160 mm.3. The circumferential deformation of the shells at failure is about 4% and does not depend on the thickness of the shell wall, the dimensions of geometrically similar shells, or the initial strain rate on the interval 0.21 · 10³–1.2 · 10³ sec^–1. Thin-walled shells begin to fail from the outside surface, thick-walled shells from the inside surface.4. The modulus of elasticity of the GRE is 2.4 · 10⁵ kgf/cm² and does not depend on the strain rate on the interval 10^–3–1.5 · 10³ sec^–1. The material deforms elastically up to failure.Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 283–289, March–April, 1978.     

Analysis of the effect of transverse shear strains on the stability of multilayer cylindrical shells under external pressure

The effect of transverse shear strains on the critical pressure is investigated using the results of the solution obtained for the problem of the stability "in the small" of elastic multilayer cylindrical shells of regular structure with alternating light and stiff layers. Attention is drawn to the need to estimate the state of stress of the shells in the critical-load zone with the object of studying the desirability of taking the shear effect into account in the stability calculations. The results obtained can be used in calculating the stability of shells made from resin-based composites (glass-reinforced plastics, graphite-reinforced plastics, etc.). The numerical calculations were carried out using a computer.Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1066–1070, November–December, 1973.     

Temperature dependence of the strength of a woven composite in a plane state of stress

Conclusions On the basis of an analysis of test results obtained by typical patterns of simple momentary quasistatic loading at various temperatures within the 20–150°C range, we have found a family of strength surfaces for a woven organic plastic material in a plane state of stress in the reinforcement plane. These experimentally found strength surfaces can be approximated by the equation of a second-degree surface. It has been established that the range of safe states of stress in the stress space narrows nonuniformly with rising temperature; namely, this narrowing is accompanied by a shift of the center and a reorientation of the axes of the strength ellipsoid. We have revealed and described the temperature dependence of the components of the strength surface tensors involved in the strength criterion. The data can be used for predicting the strength of a composite material under consideration when the latter is subject to simple quasistatic loading patterns in the three-dimensional (₁₁, ₂₂, ₁₂) stress space in the reinforcement plane within a given test range of temperatures.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 452–457, May–June, 1978.     

Strength and deformation properties of fiberglass-plastic in the flat stressed state as a function of reinforcement structure

Conclusion Limiting strength values have been ascertained in the flat stressed state as a function of reinforcement structure. The change in each strength surface tensor component as a function of reinforcement intensity has been approximated by the piecewise-linear approximation method. A strength condition has been derived which can be used in optimization problems. The problem of the optimum reinforcement structure of a composite at various ratios of the stresses ₁₁, ₂₂, and ₁₂ has been examined. By using the strength condition, one can predict strength values for structures which appear in the class of materials in question with various reinforcement intensities. The procedure developed can be used in designing composite materials.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 848–859, September–October, 1978.     

Shear strength of composites based on whiskerized fibers

The elastic and strength characteristics of unidirectional carbon plastics have been studied, based on carbon fibers, whiskerized with fiber crystals of silicon nitride prepared from the gaseous phase and titanium dioxide from an aerosol. The advantages of these composites and glass textolites based on satin-type fabrics whiskerized with fiber crystals of aluminum nitride and titanium dioxide over the usual carbon and glass plastics are demonstrated.All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Aviation Materials. Institute of Polymers Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 492–501, May–June, 1973.     

Various methods of determining the natural frequencies and damping of composite cantilever plates. 3. The Ritz method

The Ritz method was used to determine the frequencies and forms of free vibrations of rectangular cantilever plates made of anisotropic laminated composites. Orthogonal Jacobi and Legendre polynomials were used as coordinate functions. The results of the calculations are in good agreement with the published experimental and calculated data of other authors for plates made of boron and carbon fiber reinforced plastics with different angles of reinforcement of unidirectional layers and different sequence of placing the layers, and also of isotropic plates. The dissipative characteristics in vibrations were determined on the basis of the concept of complex moduli. The solution of the frequency equation with complex coefficients yields a complex frequency; the loss factors are determined from the ratio of the imaginary component of the complex frequency to the real component. For plates of unidirectionally reinforced carbon fiber plastic with different relative length a detailed analysis of the influence of the angle of reinforcement on the interaction and frequency transformation and on the loss factor was carried out. The article shows that the loss factor of a plate depends substantially on the type of vibration mode: bending or torsional. It also examines the asymptotics of the loss factors of plates when their length is increased, and it notes that the binomial model of deformation leads to a noticeable error in the calculation of the loss factor of long plates when the angle of reinforcement lies in the range 20°<<70°.For Communication 2, see [1].Institute of Engineering Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia. St. Petersburg State University, Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 215–225, March–April, 1997.     

Analysis of the fracture of fiber composites on the basis of the statistical theory of branching processes

A statistical theory of branching processes is used to examine models of the localized and delocalized fracture of fiber composites. It is shown that despite the differences between the two types of models, both can be reduced to the same generalized Markov process. A new fracture criterion to be used for all types of models is proposed. The use of this criterion makes it possible to theoretically describe a new structural effect — the dependence of the breaking stress of a composite specimen on its cross-sectional area. In the limiting case of an infinitely large cross-sectional area, the breaking stress calculated on the basis of the proposed approach turns out to be equal to that calculated using previous models. The breaking stress for specimens of finite dimensions turns out to be lower than for specimens of infinite size. This result is due to the nonlinear dependence of the probability of fiber rupture on the additional overstresses that develop in the composite during local microscopic fractures. The results that are obtained should be taken into account in the calculation of the strength of structurally reinforced composites and small structural elements made of composite materials.Kompozit Research Center, St. Petersburg, Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 32, No. 6, pp. 795–807, November–December, 1996.     

Strength and reliability of cylindrical shells prepared by the method of continuous filament winding

Conclusions 1. Strength calculation of shells whose material has a scatter in elastic and strength characteristics should be carried out using statistical methods. A deterministic calculation using values of elastic and strength characteristics leads to appreciable errors in the estimate of bearing ability.2. The problems of estimating the strength and the reliability of constructions from laminar composites are closely interconnected.3. Physicomechanical characteristics of a material which have been obtained in tests of unidirectional specimens make it possible to describe the behavior of a construction on the condition that the structure of the shell layer material is reduced to the structure of the specimen material.4. Allowing for the scale effect plays an important role in estimating the reliability and bearing ability of heavy-duty shells for large-size pressure vessels.Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 443–451, May–June, 1978.     

Optimization of a cylindrical shell of reinforced plastic with a filler under dynamic loading

Conclusions 1. The numerical investigation of profiles of functions of the physical constraints carried out in this work allows us to assume that problems of optimal design of shells of reinforced plastics, strengthened by an elastic filler, for purposes of stability (static and dynamic) under axial compression, in the given formulation, are problems of convex programming. This guarantees uniqueness of their solution and allows us to use gradient methods for a numerical realization.2. Optimal shells of a composite material have a smaller mass than equivalent shells of high-strength metal alloys. The gain in the expenditure of the material is ensured not only as a result of higher specific characteristics of the composite, but basically as a result of optimizing the reinforcement structure of the pack of orthotropic layers of the shell.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 879–885, September–October, 1977.     

Study of microbuckling of fiber-reinforced composite materials

On the basis of the theory of microbuckling of lamina-reinforced composites and formula predicting the critical composite stress for microbuckling in the shear mode _cs published in the literature, a FORTRAN program for study of the behavior of microbuckling of fiber reinforced composites has been developed. Some types of composite materials (reinforcement of different fibers and epoxy matrix) have been studied. Graphics and curves, accounting for the dependences of the compressive stress at failure _cs from the reinforcement volume k, specimen length L, and shear modulus of resin G_r have been obtained. The comparison of the theoretical diagrams presented here and experimental and theoretical results, published in the literature shows good agreement. The basic conclusion of the work presented here is that the study could be used for other fiber reinforced composites (with different mechanical properties of matrices and fibers).Institute of Mechanics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria. Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 531–538, July–August, 1996.     

Estimation of the stability of the strength of glass-reinforced plastics in conical shells

On the basis of a statistical analysis of the test data it is shown that there is a difference between the mechanical characteristics (in tension and compression) of laminated glass-reinforced plastics obtained under laboratory and industrial conditions by impregnation under pressure in a closed mold. The stability of the strength properties of the glass-reinforced plastic in various conical shells, produced in large batches, is considered. Certain experimental relations between the material properties and the total number of shells produced are also established.Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 102–108, January–February, 1970.     

Experimental investigation of the anisotropy of strength of bolted joints of laminated composites upon variation of geometric and design parameters

Conclusion In the present work we investigated the anisotropy of the characteristics of tensile (buckling) strength and elasticity of plates made of KMU-4L in a bolted joint in a wide range of parameters of the material (stacking, number of layers), geometric parameters of the joint, parameters of the fastening element and of design parameters. An analysis of the results showed that the strength of the bolted joint under static loading can be increased for thin plates with h = 1–2 mm by local reinforcement of the zone of the hole by layers with = ±45 °, and also by increasing the moment of preliminary tightening; for plates with h = 3–4 mm the only feasible measure is increasing the moment of preliminary tightening to 20–40 Nm. All the results of the experiment were graphically generalized in the form of surfaces of maximal stress; this made it possible to predict the load bearing capacity of a joint for intermediate values of the parameters by calculating the safety factors.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 2, pp. 268–272, March–April, 1990.     

Optimization of the axial stability of equal-strength reinforced cylindrical pressure vessels

The class of reinforced cylindrical shells obtained by spiral winding with reinforcing ring or longitudinal layers is considered. The structure of the shells is optimal with respect to internal pressure. The reinforcement angle is selected so as to maximize the critical axial load.Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1123–1126, November–December, 1973.     

Identification of mechanical properties of composites based on design of experiments

A numerical-experimental method for the identification of mechanical properties of laminated polymeric composites from the experimental results is being developed. For the first time, it is proposed to use the method of experiment planning to solve the identification (inverse) problems. The basic idea of the approach is that simple mathematical models are determined only from information on the response of a structure in reference points of the design. Therefore, a significant reduction in the calculation of the identification functional (about 50–100 times) can be achieved in comparison with the conventional methods of minimization. Examples of the numerical identification of the elastic properties of the laminated composites from the measured eigenfrequencies of plates are discussed.Submitted to the 10th International Conference on Mechanics of Composite Materials, April 20–23, 1998, Riga, Latvia.Institute of Computer Analysis of Structures, Riga Technical University, Riga LV-1058 Latvia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 3–16, January–February, 1998.     

Modeling process operations in the forming of parts made of flat metal-polymer composites

The forming of complex three-dimensional parts (tubular structures, sections, shells) from flat sheets of metal-polymer composites is examined. Results are reported from a series of experimental studies of the strain and strength characteristics of these composites, and features of the fabrication of shells of single and double curvature are analyzed. One method of solving the problem of bending shells of complex shape with large displacements (deflections) beyond the elastic limit of the material is proposed and substantiated empirically.Paper to be presented at the IX International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, October, 1995).Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 417–427, May–June, 1995.     

Resistance of three-layered structures to static and cyclic bending

Conclusions The above studies of two types of three-layer structural elements showed that the types have different resistances to static deformation in bending. Regardless of the materials, the use of structures which are symmetrical in regard to stiffness makes it possible to obtain a stiffness and strength for the structure which are 10–15% lower than the stiffness and strength of the external plates if the thickness of the latter does not account for more than 25% of the thickness of the structure. This finding, in turn, permits a substantial reduction in the weight of the structure by the use of a lower-density material for the internal layer. Resistance to static bending is determined mainly by the resistance of the structure to shear stresses. The mechanism of fatigue fracture differs appreciably from the fracture mechanism in static deformation. Regardless of the thickness of the structural elements, fatigue fracture for both types of structure occurs as a result of the acting normal compressive stresses. The endurance limit of the hybrid structure is determined by the fatigue resistance of the external layers, and its value is nearly equal to the resistance of the pure materials.Presented at the Sixth All-Union Conference on the Mechanics of Polymer and Composite Materials (Riga, November, 1986).Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 878–882, September–October, 1986.