EVALUATION OF THE RADIAL-CUT METHOD FOR DETERMINING RESIDUAL STRAINS IN FIRER COMPOSITE RINGS

Abstract

This study illustrates a method that could be used for experimental confirmation of the maximum radial residual strain in circumferentially wound fiber-composite rings for critical applications in which the radial residual strain must be accurate. The rings chosen in this study were radially thick and axially thin due to the specific application of fly-wheel rotors. For this particular application the maximum radial residual strain was of most interest. There was very good agreement between an average radial residual strain predicted by an elasticity theory approach and the radial residual strain measured by a radially oriented strain gage located midway through the radial thickness. This study does not give guidelines as to appropriate ring dimensions and types of composite materials for the predictive equations used. It does give encouragement to use the same method for confirming the radial and circumferential residual strain distributions in radially thick fiber-composite rings.