| Abstract: | This study is concerned with the manner in which strength and stiffness in interlaminar shear of orthogonally reinforced laminates depend on the mechanical characteristics of their components, on the volume fraction of reinforcing material, on the coefficients of reinforcement distribution in the stacking direction, and on the microporosity of the polymer matrix, as well as other microdiscontinuities in the various structural components of the plastic. For the purpose of assessing the strength and the stiffness in interlaminar shear, with the volume fraction of reinforcing material and the interlaminar microporosity of the composite material varied, approximate formulas have been derived and their practical applicability subsequently confirmed in tests on glass-resin textolite specimens. It is shown that the indicated mechanical properties of a plastic are appreciably affected by these two structural parameters, especially so by its interlaminar microporosity. |
